Rip currents are the greatest safety hazard on beaches throughout the world. Learn about the dangers of rip currents from those who were either witness to, or directly involved in major rescues by watching episodes of ‘Caught in the Rip’.
Each episode highlights critical factors when it comes to rip current safety
Including the dangers of swimming on beaches unpatrolled by Lifeguards.
Why a beachgoer should never attempt to swim against the flow of a rip current.
How panicking in a rip can quickly lead to poor decisions, physical exhaustion and drowning.
The tragedies that often result from bystander rescues.
Episode One
Derrick John’s Rip Current Rescue- Nantucket USA
Episode Two
Cancun – Mexico – Rip Current Rescue
Episode Three
Lou Armstrong Rip Current Rescue
– Kingscliff Beach, Australia
Episode Four
The bravery of Ryan Martin
– Dreamtime Beach, NSW, Australia
The biggest danger lurking along the world’s beaches is one that most people can’t see
Learn about the importance of rip current safety from the production team behind the award winning television documentaries
Latest News – Commencing in November 2024, our latest feature length documentary Rip Current Survival will be available to stream on the Beamafilm platform.
Filmed in over a dozen countries. Rip Current Survival is the world’s first international documentary on rip currents.
This is a story about the world’s greatest beach safety hazard - and the threat it poses at some of the most beautiful and popular beaches on Earth: in Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica and the United States.
Rip Current Survival tells the stories of those whose lives have been changed forever, with real rescues caught on camera.
Cutting edge science beneath the water’s surface journey’s into the heart of rips – as researchers in the UK, France, New Zealand and Australia unlock the secrets of how these currents operate.
And Rip Current Survival tells the story of the major challenges facing different global coastal communities, as they struggle to make their beaches safer from these deadly currents.
Previous Documentary Productions
United States Rip Current Rescue - America’s first documentary special on rip current safety. Produced in partnership with United States Lifesaving Association.
Filmed across the nations most popular beaches, including California, The Gulf Coast, North Carolina and New England, Rip Current Rescue features dramatic stories of survival captured on camera.
Rip Current Rescue takes audiences to the frontlines of U.S beach safety – up close with those dedicated to keeping the public safe from these deadly currents.
Rip Current Rescue also reveals why the Great Lakes are a hotspot for rip current drownings – despite being hundreds of miles from an ocean.
Compelling stories to help the viewing public understand rip currents, to know how to spot them, and what to do if they ever find themselves in the grip of a rip.
‘This documentary is compelling viewing for all Americans as we head back to the beaches over summer…… This program will save lives’
– Chief Peter Davis – President United States Lifesaving Association
Rip Current Heroes – a beach safety documentary produced for National Geographic.
Rip Current Heroes follows the research of Surf Scientist Dr Rob Brander ( Dr Rip ) as he takes the audience beneath the waters surface to unlock the secrets of how these powerful currents operate. Dr Brander’s research also explains the best escape strategies for a swimmer to get out of a rip safely. This is life saving information that every beach-goer should know.
Rip Current Heroes also tells the remarkable stories of heroic Australians, who put their own lives on the line to rescue others caught in rips. The documentary also tells the story of a beachside community in Northern New South Wales who have taken an innovative grassroots approach to addressing a major rip current problem in their own backyard.
Watch the Rip Current Heroes 2 minute trailer.
Click here to view our School Study Guide (PDF approx 12mb)
The rip current safety information on this website draws from the content in the highly successful television documentaries Rip Current Heroes, Escaping Rip Currents and Rip Current Rescue.
This information and the content in the Rip Current Heroes school study guide is available free of charge to the public with the sole purpose of helping reduce rip current incidents on the world’s beaches.
As you make your way through this website and learn all about rip currents, remember to click on the video links supplied to watch some very important segments.
