Once at the water, and as I mentioned in my previous article, please, please, please speak with the lifeguards who are on duty, these guys know the beach intimately, will have hourly briefs on what is happening with the conditions and more importantly tell you where is safe to swim. If no lifeguard is on duty, then there are some simple things to look for apart from the obvious flags and signs warning you of danger. The main visible sign for a possible riptide is a ‘sand’ or darker patch of water that is moving away from the shore. This is happening because the water that is rushing back out to the sea is churning up the sea bed. This also occurs with stoney areas but you do have to look a bit more closely.