What is a rip current? Here’s how to escape safely if you ever get caught in one [Video]

ORLANDO, Fla. – Amid rising concerns over beach safety, knowing how to react if caught in a rip current could mean the difference between life or death. Here are a few things you can do to stay safe.

What is a rip current?

If you’ve never seen a rip current, it looks like an unsuspecting shallow body of water that is on the surface of the ocean — but don’t let that fool you.

Rip currents are a string of water channels that simultaneously move quickly away from the shore.

FOX 35 Storm Team Meteorologist Jessica Dobson explains how rip currents form.

“We have waves crashing out ahead of that sandbar, closer to the shoreline specifically. But the thing is, water has to flow back out, so what essentially happens is the water looks for a low or a weak point in that sandbar and rushes out and that forms a very fast current – a rip current”, …