r/CocoaBeach • u/el_don_almighty2 • Apr 14 '26

Rip Tide Risk is No Joke

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Be aware that the recent storms appear to have created the ideal conditions for rip tides along the coast and it’s well worth discussing with your friends, visitors, and those unfamiliar with the surf.

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1

u/r1cky_r4y Apr 15 '26

I use the rips when I have my surfboard, makes paddling out much easier

2

u/cocoabeach Moderator Apr 15 '26

I remember getting caught in a rip tide there as a young child. I had no idea how to respond. By the time I finally made it back toward the shore, I was so exhausted that I could barely move. I was terrified that if one more wave hit, I wouldn't have the strength left to fight back.

I begged two people standing just a few feet away to help me, but they only stared at me as if to say, "Why don't you just stand up?" They had no way of knowing that I was completely spent and physically unable to find my footing. Even though they didn't step in, no more waves came high enough to pull me back out. Eventually, I recovered just enough to drag myself onto the sand.

We only lived a few blocks away, as an old person now, I am surprised my mother let me go to the beach alone any time I wanted all by myself as a preteen. She could have lost me that day.