June 2011 (ROTM#30) Zauritz, Spain

Thanks to Timothy Price for sending me these pictures via my Science of the Surf Facebook page. The one on the left shows some well defined rip current channels at low tide. I count 5 (looking for the dark gaps), but the second one up from the bottom of the photo splits into two rips. You'd be hard pressed to find a safe place to swim on this beach. Judging from the width of the beach and the ponded water, it looks like it's got a reasonably large tidal range as well. Rips on beaches with big tides tend to suddenly 'switch on' for short time periods around low tide.

The picture on the right is taken at mid-tide (from a different perspective) and shows just how much harder it is to spot the rips when the water depth is greater. And the rips wouldn't be flowing as strong, but the rip at the bottom of the picture seems to be going a long way offshore!

Beaches with large tidal ranges change dramatically and quickly