William Zhang, a 17-year-old Canadian swimmer, was swept out to sea off Indian Shores on Wednesday. Pinellas County deputies later located his body.
While it’s not exactly clear how he drowned, one possibility is rip currents.
They form when waves break near the shoreline, piling up water between the breaking waves and the beach. They can increase to dangerous speeds, dragging swimmers out to sea.
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According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, rip currents are the greatest surf-zone hazard to all beachgoers.
As the Tampa Bay area prepares for a record-breaking spring break, the National Weather Service is warning both visitors and residents about the dangers of rip currents.
Jennifer Hubbard is a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service Tampa office.
She said it's important not to panic if you ever get caught in a rip current.
“That rip current isn't going to pull you an extreme amount offshore as long as you don't fight it,” Hubbard said. “You need to relax if you feel that pull. You can try to swim parallel to the coast to get out of that channel, and once you do release from the channel, you would swim to shore.”
Rip currents could be as narrow as 10 to 20 feet wide, but they could also be up to 10 times wider. They begin to slow down as they move beyond the breaking waves, but sometimes extend for hundreds of feet beyond the surf-zone.
“Rip currents are kind of hard to detect, it does look like a narrow channel of darker and more calm seas within the surf zone,” Hubbard said.
According to the Florida Panhandle website, NOAA found that, of the 435 rip current-related deaths in the U.S. between 2017 and 2023, Florida had 143.
The National Weather Service also reported that rip currents are the number one weather-related killer at the beaches along the northern Gulf Coast.
Hubbard gave a few more safety tips to consider before heading to the beach.
“Make sure that you're going to a beach that has lifeguards at it, make sure that you don't go alone, and then (have) a floatation device when you go into the water,” she said. “In order to not get very tired and exhausted, having a floatation device is a great way to be able to survive that period so that you have enough strength to come to shore.”
Hubbard added that people should look at National Weather Service statements online for a better idea of what the water will be like.
“Make sure that you get familiar with the area (and) get familiar with the forecast, so you can know what to expect before you get out there."
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