rip current

Noun

rip current (plural rip currents)

1. A strong flow of surface water, away from the shore, that returns water from incoming waves.
   • It takes on complicated forms, including longshore currents, which set parallel to the beach, and rip currents, in which water carried shoreward by breaking waves finds its way back to deep water in fast, narrow jets. Longshore and rip current velocities may be as great as 3 knots.1988, John V. Noel, Jr., Knight′s Modern Seamanship, page 515
   • Second, where longshore currents converge, rip currents form, carrying water and sediment outward, away from shore (fig. 2.6).1995, David M. Bush, Living With the Puerto Rico Shore, page 20

   Synonyms:

   rip, rip tide, riptide