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The bright green water shows a rip current in North Carolina in this photograph provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of NOAA<\/p>\n
This cutaway drawing by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is called “Anatomy of the Rip Current.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Courtesy of NOAA<\/p>\n
Jason DeGray didn\u2019t know much about rip currents, his wife Meagan said. In fact,\u00a0he didn\u2019t even like the beach<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cHe did everything for his kids,\u201d she said, including jumping into the ocean at Cocoa Beach, Fla. a few weeks ago to help his 12-year-old son, who was struggling in a rip current.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Jason DeGray, 42, of Windsor Locks, was able to save his son on April 14, she said, but not himself. The pull of the current proved too strong.\u00a0Jason DeGray and a woman from Ohio \u2014 who Meagan\u00a0DeGray said went into the water to help \u2014 drowned<\/a>, Cocoa Beach officials said, causing two family vacations to take tragic turns.<\/p>\n Jason DeGray of Windsor Locks died after he was pulled from the water at Cocoa Beach, Fla. April 14, first responders say. His wife, Meagan DeGray, says he rescued his son before falling victim to a rip current. A woman from Ohio also died.\u00a0<\/p>\n Courtesy of Meagan DeGray, via the East Windsor Community Funeral Home<\/p>\n Cocoa Beach rescuers said they pulled the adults and two others who survived out of the water that day. Losing half the people they rescued spurred the small,\u00a0oceanside city to step up efforts to educate the public, especially visitors, who Cocoa Beach Fire Chief Justin Grimes said make up most of their rescued swimmers. A few weeks earlier, rescue teams had to pull a visitor from Texas out of the water, and that person survived, he said at a\u00a0news conference a few days after the\u00a0drownings.<\/a><\/p>\n First responders are talking to hotels and\u00a0Airbnbs to get the message out to visitors about the deadly danger that lurks beneath the often deceptively smooth surface of the water, Grimes said. They\u2019ve had signs out around the city that warn of rip current threats for weeks, he said. And now he’s asking the\u00a0media to help spread the word.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Make CT Insider a preferred source on Google to see more of our journalism when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a tragedy,\u201d Grimes said of the deaths at the April 16 news conference. \u201cAnd it\u2019s a tragedy that I think, working together, we can try to prevent.\u201d<\/p>\n What are rip currents? <\/p>\n Before people even step foot on a beach, they should look up information about rip currents, Grimes said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n They account for 80 percent of rescues performed by surf beach lifeguards, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration <\/a>says. The United States Lifesaving Association estimates that the annual number of deaths on our nation’s beaches due to rip currents exceeds 100.<\/p>\n Rip currents are strong underwater currents that pull swimmers away from the beach. (Despite the common misnomer, \u201crip tides\u201d\u2014 and the Vance Joy song \u2014 they are not tides.) They are formed in sand bars, often during storms. Cocoa Beach had rough weather in the week before the deaths, Grimes said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen sand bars rip away, it creates a funnel where the water comes back out and it can pull people out really quickly,\u201d he said. The force is \u201cequivalent to walking through a hurricane,\u201d Grimes said, and \u201ceven the strongest swimmers can be overtaken by rip currents.\u201d<\/p>\n This illustration by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows how to swim out of a rip current.\u00a0<\/p>\n Courtesy of NOAA<\/p>\n They also form near structures such as jetties and piers, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Drowning deaths occur when swimmers are pulled away from the shoreline and are unable to keep themselves afloat as they try to swim to shore, the NOAA says.<\/p>\n \u201cThis may be due to any combination of fear, panic, exhaustion, or lack of swimming skills,” the agency says. “Once people become tired, they can easily go under without flotation to hold onto.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Connecticut\u2019s Long Island Sound usually isn\u2019t known for its waves or rip currents,\u00a0they have formed there during storms.<\/a><\/p>\n Look for flags, lifeguards<\/p>\n Grimes recommends beachgoers pick a spot near a lifeguard to swim.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cLifeguards can do something that we can\u2019t do, and that is preventative life guarding,\u201d the fire chief said. \u201cThey can make sure that you don\u2019t get into a difficult position, get you out of dangerous situations. They can see if rips are occurring.\u201d<\/p>\n Beachgoers also should note any flags warning of danger,<\/a> Grimes said.<\/p>\n According to the United States Lifesaving Association<\/a>, yellow flags mean there is a medium hazard, with \u201cmoderate surf and\/or currents.\u201d When there is a yellow flag, weak swimmers are discouraged from entering the water, the association says.<\/p>\n Red flags mean the hazard level is high, and all swimmers are discouraged from going into the water, it says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n And purple flags mean there are marine pests, such as jellyfish or other marine life, that can cause minor injuries.<\/p>\n What do rip currents look like?<\/p>\n Swimmers should look for rip currents, too, but they are not easy to spot<\/a>, the NOAA says. The agency suggests you stay back from the water and look for a few telltale signs:<\/p>\n A narrow gap of darker, seemingly calmer water flanked by areas of breaking waves and white water;<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A break in the incoming wave pattern betrays a rip current in this picture provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n Courtesy of Dr. Tom Herrington, Stevens Institute of Technology via NOAA A line of foam in the water signals a rip current in this photograph provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n Courtesy of Dr. Wendy Carey, Delaware Sea Grant, via NOAA<\/p>\n A dip in the sand where water runs up closer to some sunbathers than others also can signal the presence of a rip current, Wyatt\u00a0Werneth of the American Lifeguard Association told Good Morning America on May 30, 2025. <\/a>Werneth was on Melbourne Beach, Fla., where a person on the shore used a drone to deliver a flotation device to a girl caught in a rip current earlier in the month. The girl survived,\u00a0GMA said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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\nA channel of churning or choppy water that is distinct from surrounding water;
\nA difference in water color, such as an area of muddy-appearing water (which occurs from sediment and sand being carried away from the beach);
\nA consistent area of foam or seaweed being carried through the surf.
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