November 2018 (ROTM#119) Playa la Barqueta, Chiriqui, Panama

This month's picture comes to you from a contribution by Facebook user Mar Quez to my 'Dr Rip's Science of the Surf' page and it provides some geographic variability and a reminder that rip currents occur worldwide on any beach characterised by waves breaking across a wide surf zone.

This beach is situated on the west (Pacific Ocean) coast of Panama and is very similar to beaches (and rip currents) I've experienced in Costa Rica. The beaches also have black sand derived from volcanic rocks (and hence nearby volcanoes). The rips in this photo are the prominent dark green gaps that wind their way through the whitewater of the breaking waves. While they are not exactly regularly spaced apart, they occur pretty consistently along the whole length of beach. 

The west coast of Central America is a surf - and rip - coast