Rip current risk · Miami-Dade beaches
Sun 1 Nov · surf 3 to 4 feet
NWS Miami surf zone forecast, issued Sun 1 Nov, 3:31 PM
Rip current risk · Broward beaches
Sun 1 Nov · surf 3 to 4 feet
NWS Miami surf zone forecast, issued Sun 1 Nov, 3:31 PM
Rip currents
A rip current is a strong, narrow channel of water flowing away from the shore, usually 10–30 yards wide on South Florida beaches. NOAA says rips can move at up to 8 feet per second, faster than an Olympic swimmer. They often form on fine, sunny days with a moderate or fresh onshore wind, and they are stronger near piers, inlets and jetties. NWS Miami says deaths peak at spring break, in summer and on holiday weekends.
How to spot one
- A gap of darker, calmer-looking water between breaking waves.
- A channel of churning, choppy water.
- A patch of water that is a different colour.
- A line of foam, seaweed or debris moving out to sea.
If you are caught
- Don't fight it. Don't swim straight back to shore against the current.
- Swim sideways, parallel to the shore, until you are out of it, then swim back at an angle. Or float and let it carry you past the breakers, then swim in.
- If you can't get out, face the shore and wave or yell for help.
If someone else is caught: get a lifeguard. If there isn't one, call 911, tell them to swim along the shoreline, and throw them something that floats. Never go in after someone without a flotation device.
Swim near a lifeguard. According to the U.S. Lifesaving Association, as cited by the NWS, the chance of drowning at a beach with lifeguards is 1 in 18 million; NWS Miami says most rip-current drownings happen at unguarded beaches. Each beach page says whether it has lifeguards.
The NWS rates the daily risk low, moderate or high in its surf zone forecast, which we show on our conditions page, and issues a Rip Current Statement when the risk is high.
Beach flag colours
Florida's beaches use one statewide set of warning flags (Florida Statutes s. 380.276, run by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection). The flags describe overall surf conditions, not rip currents specifically, and no flag does not mean safe water.
Low hazard. Calm conditions; still use caution.
Medium hazard: moderate surf and/or currents.
High hazard: rough conditions, strong surf and/or currents.
Water closed to the public.
Dangerous marine life present (Miami-Dade: "marine animals present"). Flown with the surf flag.
Meanings as worded by Miami-Dade Parks; program: Florida DEP Beach Warning Flag Program.
Lightning
When thunder roars, go indoors. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck, and nowhere on the beach is safe: not the water, not under a tree or a beach umbrella. Get into a building or a hard-topped car, and wait until 30 minutes after the last thunder or the beach's all-clear (NWS Miami). NWS Miami says the largest number of people struck in Florida are on or near water, and that summer afternoons, with their near-daily thunderstorms, are the worst time.
Portuguese man o' war and jellyfish
The Portuguese man o' war is not a true jellyfish but a colony of tiny organisms with a blue-to-pink float on top and tentacles that average about 10 m (30 ft) long. Its sting is rarely deadly but painful, leaving welts that can last days, and one washed up on the sand can still sting weeks later (NOAA). Strong onshore winds blow them in, often around spring break, and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue then flies purple flags.
If you are stung, go to a lifeguard: Ocean Rescue keeps treatment supplies. Don't rub the area or rinse it with fresh water. Lift tentacles off with a card or towel, wearing gloves if you can, and rinse with salt water. For man o' war, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus advises rinsing with hot water; it reserves vinegar for box jellyfish, so we don't recommend vinegar for man o' war. Call 911 for trouble breathing, chest pain, or symptoms spreading across the body. Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222.
Sun, UV and heat
Miami's midday UV Index is typically about 4 in winter and 10–11 in summer (EPA). The EPA's advice: at 3–7, seek shade from late morning to mid-afternoon and use broad-spectrum SPF 15+ sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses; at 8 and above, take extra care, and if your shadow is shorter than you are, get into the shade. The NWS suggests SPF 30+, reapplied every two hours and after swimming; sand and water reflect UV.
Heat exhaustion (heavy sweating, cool clammy skin, dizziness, nausea, cramps): move somewhere cooler, loosen clothing, apply cool wet cloths, sip water, and get medical help if it gets worse or lasts over an hour. Heat stroke (confusion, body temperature above 103°F, hot red skin) is an emergency: call 911 and cool the person; don't give fluids (NWS).
Water quality and sargassum
The Florida Department of Health tests beach water for enterococci bacteria and posts advisories when a site fails twice; check the Healthy Beaches page, especially after heavy rain. Miami-Dade County also advises staying out of the water with fresh cuts or scrapes (Vibrio). Rotting sargassum seaweed gives off hydrogen sulfide; the DOH says to leave the beach if the smell irritates you, keep children from handling the seaweed, and not to eat it.