Please note that after a number of incidents in Greece in previous years of swimmers getting into trouble and sadly some losing their lives, swimmers should be aware of the danger of rip currents.

Rip currents can be found near any beach, anywhere in the world. They are strong, localised, and rather narrow currents of water. They are strongest near the surface of the water, and they move directly away from the shore, cutting through the lines of breaking waves. The location of rip currents can be unpredictable: while some tend to reoccur always in the same place, others can appear and disappear suddenly at various locations near the beach.

These currents can be dangerous even to excellent swimmers. Rip currents typically flow at 0.5 metres per second (1–2 feet per second), but they can be as fast as 2.5 metres per second (8 feet per second), which is faster than any human can swim. People who are caught in a rip and who do not understand what is going on, may not have the necessary water skills, may panic, or may exhaust themselves by trying to swim directly against the flow of water. The best approach is to swim at right-angles to the flow and break out of the current.

How to recognise the position of a rip current:-

• • There is a noticeable break in the pattern of the waves: the water often looks flat where the rip is, in contrast to the lines of breaking waves on either side of the rip.
  • A “river” of foam: the surface of the rip often looks foamy, because the water is churned up.
  • Different colour: the rip usually differs in colour from the surrounding water; it is often more opaque, cloudier, or muddier, and so, depending on the angle of the sun, the rip may show as darker or lighter than the surrounding water.
  • It is sometimes possible to see that foam or floating debris on the surface of the rip is moving out, away from the shore. In contrast, in the areas of breaking waves, floating objects are being pushed towards the shore.

Please take care and have a wonderful holiday.