Iāve decided to avoid the beach in SuAo (at least for swimming) because the first time I went there with my wife and jumped in the water Iāve felt some really weird currents pulling out. Last year in that area some people died on the day before a typhoon, dragged out in the sea even if they were playing very close to the shore. I have no idea whatās the cause, but itās not a rip tide/current. The depth of the water all along the beach is not the same, it may have something to do with that. When I went there last year, the water in the central part of the beach felt like it was sucking me in, rather than a rip tide pulling me out in the sea.
Iāll stick to Toucheng/Daxi, especially if Iām with my wife.
Iām reading and answering on my phone while putting the kid to sleep, so I wonāt try to address the first part of your post now. But you are correct that, according to the definitions in the links you give, I was referring to a ārip currentā rather than ārip tideā in my earlier posts. Thanks for the input.
Good to have input on specific beaches like this. I havenāt swum in Suao in over 10 years I think.
Itās fine for playing in the water, escpecially at the edges (shallow water), but for swimming Iāll give it a pass, I really got a weird feeling last time I went there.
Disclaimer: Iām 35 and I swim in the sea since I was 4, so itās not common for me to feel weird about swimming in a particular area. Iād rather swim in Toucheng with high waves and surfers all around me, than in Suao on a relatively quiet day.
From what I have observed. A large bay can have rip currents in the center usually. Places like FuLung have rips in the center very often. A smaller bay like GinSha Wan is safer. I have not observed any strong rips there in good weather. But small bays can have rips too, if the current flows strong there. There is a small bay near wanli where there are no lifeguards and people drown nearly every single year because of strong undertow and strong currents.
I saved a girl from drowning there once. She was not in immediate danger of drowning as she had a rubber tube around her but was drifting out to sea and started to yell for help as she was getting scared. Seeing she was only about 150 feet or so from shore, I felt i could go get her. A decision not to be taken lightly as I had no life vest and had I gotten in trouble I would have drowned. She would have been safe as long as she stayed within her rubber ring and not panicked.
If you get into the water and feel a strong pull, that is strong undertow, get OUT. Donāt venture in the water. Undertow can be very strong.
And actually just play near the shore. Because the waters around Taiwan are treacherous. Most beaches are very dangerous. Only safe up to a certain point.
Chin Shan was pretty safe for the most part. Fulung too in the roped off area. Bai Sha Wan as well, in the roped off areas.
Problem was they kept you from deeper waters as the lifeguards didnt want to take any chances and most taiwanese are extremely poor swimmers.
Also i would advise against using any inner tubes or rubber rafts at Taiwan beaches as many beaches have currents that will carry you far offshore. You may panic and try to swim to shore and drown.
Do your swimming in swimming pools. No sharks, no currents, no undertows, no jelly fish.
Ibisk2k12, Yeah, heeding gut feelings is good advice in many areas of life, especially involving physical safety. I think I know the feeling youāre describing about Suao, as I felt something quite similar swimming solo at Xuhai beach on the southeast coast a number of years ago. Had a good swim there but chided myself afterward and probably wouldnāt swim there solo again without some kind of flotation device at hand, not based on any problem I had, but just a weird feeling that I was somehow testing my luck there.
The one in Suao felt a look like a strong undertow, but I could clearly feel it pulling me downward into the deeper water, not just a surface pull. It may have something to do with the really deep slope in some areas of that bay.
Not bad except for the final piece of advice: āIf what youāre doing isnāt working, try other options until you get to shore.ā
Like what other options? Why wouldnāt swimming parallel to shore together with riding the riptide out work? How far out do riptides usually take you? What is the typical max?
By applying a āquantum geographic information systemā to the 46 beach hotspots, from 2014 to 2021 there were a total of 235 rescue incidents documented, with Tainanās Sicao Beach (åčęµ·ē) having 34 incidents, the highest in the nation during that period, the report said.
The second area with 33 reported incidents was at Sunset Platform (č§å¤å¹³å°ęµ·ē) at Anping Port (å®å¹³ęøÆ), just south of Sicao in Annan District (å®å), followed by 18 reported incidents at Gold Coast (é»éęµ·å²ø), in Tainanās South District (åå), it said.
These are followed by 17 reported incidents at Yilan Countyās Waiao Beach (å¤ę¾³ę²ē) and Tainanās Yuguang Island Beach (ę¼å å³¶ęµ·ē), 13 reported incidents at Kaohsiungās Sizihwan Beach (č„æåē£ę²ē) and 12 reported incidents at Baishawan Beach (ē½ę²ē£ęµ·ē) on Taipeiās northern coast and Sinfeng Beach (ę°č±ęµ·ę°“ęµ“å “ęµ·ē) in Hsinchu County.
The office warned people heading to beaches for leisure and recreation about the dangers of rip currents at high-risk beaches.
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Had similar experience while surfing in Australia. Quite big waves and rip current brought me far out. Waves were unforgiving. I was able to get a good one and it brought me half way back. Then I started swimming. Still was stuck in one place pretty much. Luckily a lifeguard saw me struggling for a while and came out to guide me through the currents. Arrived at the beach with very last strength and I was very fit at that time. That can easily go wrong when one is alone out there.
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Rips can take you out a mile and with big waves this presents a challenge to even the best swimmers
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I think we can now add Keelungās Dawulun Beach to the list, with three people dying there in two three separate incidents on Saturday.
EDITED FOR ACCURACY
Guy
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One was a father daughter on a kayak. It flipped. They saved the daughter. Dad didnāt make it. I believe the daughter was around 5 years old.
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That is heartbreaking. Is it known if he wearing a life jacket?
Just wondering how the kid survived but Dad didnāt.
no idea
No mention of riptide or anything, seems that they just couldnāt swim? At least the little girl made it.
The cityās fire department has also issued an appeal to the public to do warm-up exercises before playing in the water, so that the body can be fully stretched and avoid cramps.
So this will solve the problem?
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What a stupid fucking thing to suggest. Warm-up exercises will prevent getting caught in a rip current and dying? Theyāre smoking dick!
But, you know what? I can one up you with two super stupid suggestions.
In the following news article that I found, an oceanographer suggested using traditional swim goggles versus a swim mask and a snorkel, suggesting that that might prevent drownings due to panic when caught in a rip tide! Also suggested implementing a ātraffic light systemā to notify people of the beach conditions. Jesus Christ! If Taiwanese already ignore yellow and red lights whilst operating their motor vehicles how is this supposed to work? Arrrrgh!
Riptides cause 3 drownings at northern Taiwan beach
- Traffic lights?! Yeahā¦just something that needs to rust out and break and then sit there non-functioning. We already have the beach flag system in first world countries. Green, Yellow, Red and Black, etc. No need to create something new and stupid which will just be ignored anyway.
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A proper swim mask and a snorkel is way safer than using traditional swimming pool goggles whilst in the ocean. For the love of Pete, the swim mask and snorkel was specifically designed for the ocean. How in the world are swim goggles going to stop you from getting caught in a rip tide, panicking and drowning. This suggesting is so fucking stupid. Oceanographer, sureā¦right. Should we wear speedos and swim caps as well? Fuck me!
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Dawulan is one of the safest, easiest, no hassle, no danger beaches in all of the north coast. I donāt even go there because there are never any waves worth surfing. Itās a total nothing burger. Closing this beach to evaluate is such a typical knee jerk reaction to preventable tragedies. Baishawan Beach is way more dangerous. Complacency and failure to respect the ocean on the part of the victims is 100% to blame in these cases. With that said, loss of life is regrettable regardless.
Hereās another article from July 30, 2023 regarding more ocean casualties.
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Is that actually what happened here? First article doesnāt mention rip current, second is only the oceanographer who brings it up.
If it was, how did the little girl escape?
Also if it was, advising people to simply not panic seems unhelpful.
I have met many Taiwanese that simply donāt know how to swim. Seems the beaches here usually have signs explaining if it is dangerous and where to go. When in doubt, I just donāt go in over my head. I have read, but never needed to try, that swimming parallel to shore is the trick to escape. Seems a little education could go a long way.
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