Rip Current Survival
The First Truly Global Rip Current Documentary – And Our Most Ambitious Project Yet
Rip Current Survival is the culmination of years of work, research, and international collaboration—a 95-minute cinematic journey that spans continents and cultures, united by one shared danger: rip currents.
Filmed across more than a dozen countries, this groundbreaking documentary explores the real stories, cutting-edge science, and community efforts happening worldwide to confront the ocean’s deadliest hidden hazard.
From the sun-drenched shores of Australia, where Dr. Rob Brander continues to educate beachgoers, to the surf-lashed beaches of Brazil, where Dr. David Szpilman and Sobrasa battle one of the world’s highest rip current drowning rates—Rip Current Survival reveals the human face of a global problem.
In South Africa, a dramatic mass rescue shows how lifeguards fight to protect beachgoers where the majority of the public have poor swimming skills. In Costa Rica, grassroots efforts and Red Cross teams work against the odds to safeguard one of Central America’s top tourist destinations. In the United States, the film highlights the quiet crisis unfolding across the Great Lakes and celebrates the tireless work of NOAA, California State Parks, and the USLA.
But the film goes even further—spotlighting next-generation technology in countries like New Zealand, France, and the UK, where scientists are using AI, digital signage, and advanced modeling to predict and prevent rip current incidents before they happen.
Rip Current Survival is more than a documentary. It’s a global wake-up call, a celebration of scientific progress, and a deeply human look at the lives forever changed by the sea.
