Glossary
Undertow
Water flowing back out to sea near the bottom as waves break. It is not the same as a rip current and does not pull you under.
Undertow is the current near the sea floor that carries water back out from the shore as waves break. People often use the word for rip currents, but they are different things. The National Weather Service (opens in a new tab) says undertow describes the current beneath the surface when waves are breaking on shore, and that neither undertow nor rip currents pull a person underwater. NWS forecasters in Wilmington, N.C. (opens in a new tab) add that undertow is often found at very steep beaches.
Why the confusion? NWS forecasters in Cleveland (opens in a new tab) explain that a rip current is strongest about a foot off the bottom, which can knock your feet out from under you and make it feel like something is pulling you down. That feeling is where the incorrect use of undertow comes from.
What to remember:
- moving water near shore can knock you off your feet, so keep small children within arm's reach even in the shallows;
- if you are being carried away from shore, that is a rip current: relax, float and swim parallel to the beach.
See rip currents and shore break and waves.
What you can do today: teach your children that water at the beach can pull, so they should face the waves and stay close.