ABSTRACT
Shepard (1936) šrst used the rip current term to describe a circulation pattern of water from waves breaking on a beach with the return ¦ow moving rapidly back out to sea through narrow channels in the surf zone. Longer period waves (>7 to 8 sec) break with more energy and can push water higher up the beach face, hence driving stronger rip currents (MacMahan, 2003). Two primary factors associated with rip current formation are longshore variations in bathymetry and varying height along the beach (Dalrymple, 1978). Lower tidal stages also play a role in rip strength (Brander and Short, 2001; Dronen et al., 2002).
