Strong riptides are not uncommon at Camber Sands (Report, 25 August). It is well worth knowing what a riptide is, how to spot one and what you should do if you get caught in one. A riptide is basically a river of water flowing fast back out to sea when the tide is going out after the waves have persistently pushed water ashore. You can spot one because there will be no incoming waves across the width of a riptide, whereas there will be waves either side of it.
If you get caught in a riptide, you should not try to swim against it because you won’t be able to and are likely to panic. You should try to relax and go with it, because you will easily be able to swim back in once it has subsided. If you swim at all before the riptide subsides, you should swim parallel to the beach to get out of its flow.
Your natural instinct if you are getting taken out to sea is to try to reach land, but that is impossible in a riptide, even for an Olympic swimmer. This is the reason people often panic, exhaust themselves and sadly drown.
Thomas Quinton
London
• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com
