Rip Currents, Speedos, and Mosquitoes
By Elena Greco
Typical reading time: 3 minutes
May 28, 2025
A few summers back, I decided to treat myself to a beach day and took the subway to Brighton Beach on the Brooklyn shore. Walking down the beach to find a nice spot to park my towel, a plump middle-aged Russian man with a round stomach confidently strode by wearing a tiny, bright red Speedo thong. The rear view as he continued past me in the other direction left nothing to the imagination. I smiled, telling myself this was a good indication that at this beach, at least, I didn’t need to be self-conscious about my less than svelte beach body. Middle-aged swimmers were allowed.
I’ve always been a strong swimmer, so I felt comfortable going into the water alone. I slowly walked out into the ocean until I couldn’t quite touch bottom and began lazily treading water, letting my eyes half close as I enjoyed the almost-warm salt water and the sound of the surf. After what seemed to be only a few minutes, I noticed with a start that the beach had become quite far away and the sunbathers on the shore looked like little dots. Wow, I thought, how did I get this far out so quickly?! I started swimming hard toward shore. Only I went … backwards! What was happening? I tried again to swim toward shore, and that only seemed to pull me farther out. It suddenly occurred to me that I was caught in a rip current. And there was absolutely no one in the water anywhere near me.
The first thing you do when you get stuck in a rip is PANIC. The second thing you do is try to get someone’s attention. I tried yelling. It turns out that when you yell while treading water, you go under the water. I tried waving my arms. It turns out that when you raise your arms while treading water, you go under the water. And that, my friends, is why drowning is silent.
What happened next was the sole result of having watched the local news the previous night, something I literally never did. It was a fluke. And on that broadcast was a segment about rip currents, something I knew nothing about and assumed would never apply to me. That segment popped into my mind while I was trying to calm my pounding heart, and I remembered that the reporter had said that the only way to get out of a rip was to swim parallel to the shore, not towards it (which, as I had discovered, will only pull you further out).
I turned to the right and began swimming parallel to the shore. Fast and hard. It was not easy swimming. After a while, I turned toward the shore and tried to swim toward it again. Nope, the current still pulled me out towards the ocean. I swam parallel to shore a while longer. And so on, until finally, YES, I was able to swim toward shore. I swam as hard as I think I’ve ever swum and eventually found myself on land again. I stood up shakily and tried to get my bearings and find my belongings, and quickly realized I had traveled a LONG way from where I started. And I was exhausted. I remember having the thought that I wouldn’t have been able to swim much longer.
Rip Currents
I relate this less than happy story—although it did have a happy ending!—as a public service announcement because a lot of people will be going to the beach over the next couple of months. And while I love the beach and want everyone to enjoy swimming in the ocean as much as I do, it’s important to know that the Brooklyn and Long Island beaches often have rip currents, and this year, so far, seems worse than those past (I notice the rip current report on the weather occasionally as a result of my experience). There is also a shortage of lifeguards this year.
So check the weather report before swimming on the beach, here or anywhere else, and if you see a rip current warning, pay attention to it! If you must swim in an area without a lifeguard, make sure there are people around you and that you don’t swim past the point at which your feet can touch the sand. And if you do find yourself in a rip, remember to swim parallel to the shore until you’re out of it.
Mosquitoes
On another summer note, I am a favorite of mosquitoes. If you, too, suffer from mosquito bites in the summer, you will be glad to know that there’s a safe and healthy remedy that almost instantly kills the intense and incessant fire and itch: Boiron Calendula Gel. This really does the trick (also great for sunburn). It works like magic!
And speaking of magic … ABRACADABRA! A Manual for Making Dreams Come True makes for some magical summer reading!
