Rip Currents at Crystal Beach, Texas: The Biggest Water Danger

Rip Currents Kill More People Than Sharks

Rip currents are responsible for about 100 deaths per year in the United States. That's more than sharks, more than jellyfish, more than anything else in the ocean. At Crystal Beach, there are no lifeguards. Zero. You are responsible for your own safety and the safety of your family in the water.

A rip current is a narrow channel of water flowing away from shore through the surf zone. It's not an undertow that pulls you under. It's a current that pulls you out. They can move at 5 to 8 feet per second, which is faster than an Olympic swimmer can sprint. You cannot fight one.

How to Spot a Rip Current

Before you get in the water, stand on the beach and watch the waves for a few minutes. Look for these signs: a gap or channel in the breaking waves where the water looks calmer, a section of water that's a different color (often murkier or foamier) than the water on either side, and debris or foam moving steadily away from shore.

Rip currents often form near structures like jetties, piers, and sandbars. They can also form along the open beach where breaks in sandbars create channels. The tricky part is that the calm-looking section of water is actually the dangerous part. Waves break over sandbars but not over the rip channel, making the rip look like the safest place to swim.

What to Do if Caught in a Rip Current

Do NOT swim against the current toward shore. You will exhaust yourself and drown. This is how most rip current deaths happen. People panic, swim as hard as they can toward the beach, and run out of energy.

Instead, swim parallel to shore. Rip currents are narrow, usually 20 to 100 feet wide. Swimming sideways out of the current takes very little effort. Once you're out of the rip, the waves will help push you back toward shore. If you can't swim out of it, float on your back and let the current carry you out. Rip currents weaken past the surf zone. Once it releases you, swim parallel and then back in.

If you see someone else caught in a rip current, do NOT swim out to them unless you're a trained lifeguard with a flotation device. Call 911. Throw them something that floats. Yell instructions to swim sideways. Untrained rescuers become additional victims more often than they save anyone.

Teach Your Kids Before They Get In the Water

Before your family hits the water at Crystal Beach, have a 5-minute conversation about rip currents. Explain what they are and what to do. Make sure kids know: swim sideways, not toward shore. Float if you're tired. Stay calm.

Keep young children in very shallow water, waist-deep or less for kids. Stay within arm's reach of small children in the surf. Even knee-deep water can knock a small child down and a receding wave can pull them into deeper water in seconds.

When Rip Currents Are Worst

Rip currents are strongest during and after storms, when waves are larger than normal. If the surf is rough, the rip current risk is high. High tide transitioning to low tide can also increase rip current activity as water funnels back through channels in the sandbars.

Check the National Weather Service surf forecast for Galveston/Bolivar before your beach day. They issue rip current risk assessments: low, moderate, or high. If the risk is high, stay out of the water or stick to ankle-deep wading. No beach day is worth drowning over.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where to Stay in Crystal Beach

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