Footage from Newport Beach, California shows a dangerous rip current on July 4th that swept several swimmers out to sea in just minutes. The aerial footage shows lifeguards in the water, along with a rescue vessel. Thankfully, everyone survived. The Lifeguard Project shared the video to Instagram, calling it “one of the best videos capturing the unseen moments of a critical lifeguard rescue.”
“@newportbeachlifeguards perform a multi-victim rescue on 4th of July with multiple guards in the water, the Sea Watch rescue vessel, and approximately 12 victims scattered along a ‘dog-leg’ rip current along one of the jetties in Newport Beach, CA,” wrote The Lifeguard Project in its post. “The rip current is a great example of how quickly these situations can pull victims out and shows the appropriate scale of how powerful the current can be.”
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Rip currents are “powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water” that can move at speeds up to 8 feet per second. Unfortunately, they claim about 100 lives in the U.S. every year. If ever caught in a rip current, NOAA says you shouldn’t try to fight it. Rather, swim parallel to the shore and then swim back to land at an angle.
The video is a powerful reminder that these currents can form quickly.
“We watched that rip form. Never seen one like that . . . ever. Swept those swimmers 100 yds in 2 mins,” wrote one person in the comments section.
Watch footage of a dangerous rip current and a multi-victim rescue in Newport Beach, California:
Header stock image by Rupert Hitchcox Photography Limited/Getty Images