What a riptide looks like (and what to do if you get caught in one)

If you do get caught in a rip current, the best thing you can do is stay calm. It's not going to pull you underwater, it's just going to pull you away from shore. Do NOT try to swim back to shore against the rip current - it'll just tire you out. Instead, swim parallel to shore until you're out of the rip, and then follow breaking waves back to shore at an angle.