Useful Links

Beach and Surf Safety Education

Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA)

Plenty of good stuff to be found here for Australians and visitors alike. For all things rip current related, please visit SLS's www.ripcurrents.com.au website. For an incredible database of Australian beaches including an iPhone App and fact sheets about various coastal hazards visit beachsafe.org.au/

United States Break the Grip of the Rip Program

Excellent American site devoted to rip currents. Explore the links to find a ton of good information. www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov

If You Can Avoid It, It's Not an Accident....Sea Beaches

This is a poor google translation of a fantastic Facebook site developed by Estella Carelli to educate beachgoers in Argentina about rip currents and beach safety.

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI – UK)

The UK has plenty of beaches and plenty of rips and it's all run by the RNLI. www.rnli.org.uk/what_we_do/sea_and_beach_safety/beachsafety

Australian Professional Ocean Lifeguard Association (APOLA)

Professional lifeguards work most of Australias beaches and this site includes some beach safety information as well as how to become a lifeguard. www.apola.asn.au

Royal Life Saving Australia (RLS)

Covers a range of drowning issues and also a good source of Australian drowning reports and water safety conferences. www.royallifesaving.com.au/

Surf Educate Australia (SEA)

This organisation provides the best all-round beach and surf safety education available in Australia. It provides both on the beach training and classroom material for primary and high school students. Kids actually get a supervised trip in a rip! There are various programs available at www.seaaustralia.com.au

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Beach Science

Manly Hydraulics Laboratory (MHL)

This link provides real time information on offshore wave characteristics in NSW including height, period, direction and temperature. http://www.mhl.nsw.gov.au/www/wave_data_plot.htmlx

Comet Program on Rip Currents

US site with the best animations of rip currents I've seen to date and an excellent resource for coastal processes. You need to register though. http://www.meted.ucar.edu/marine/ripcurrents/NSF/

University of Delaware

A good source of who's who in the world of rip research although it focuses on the US and is a bit out of date. http://www.ocean.udel.edu/ripcurrents/Research/index.html

Professor Andy Short

Andy is the Director of the Sydney University Coastal Studies Unit and is the only person on the planet to have visited every single beach in Australia. He has produced beach guides to every state in Oz and you find out more information about them at: http://www.sup.usyd.edu.au/marine

Dr Jamie MacMahan

Dr Jamie MacMahan from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California and his colleagues and students have been doing amazing experiments in real rip currents for years. Lately it's involved chucking in 'drifters' with GPS units attached. His work has pioneered our understanding of how rips work: most of them go round in circles. His research was described in the New York Times http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/new-way-to-beat-rip-currents-tread-water/

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Surfing Science

Coastalwatch

Amazing Australian network of beach and surf cams and information relating to surfing and the coast. http://www.coastalwatch.com/templates/default.aspx

Swellnet

A must for all Australian surfers. http://www.swellnet.com.au/

Real Surf

Great site packed with information on local Sydney surfing conditions. Plenty of links to wave information and beach and surf cams. http://www.realsurf.com/

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Fun Stuff

Bondi Rescue

The boys in blue (Bondi Lifeguards) are the best in the business! http://ten.com.au/bondi-rescue.htm

Aquabumps

The best surf and beach photography around in my opinion! You can subscribe to daily email list and a Facebook page. http://www.aquabumps.com.au/

Frothers

Local Sydney eastern suburbs surfers, lifeguards and surf photographers led by Brad Malyon have created an amazing surfing and photography website and Facebook page. http://www.frothers.com.au

Tamarama Bodyboarders

Tamarama Beach in Sydneys Eastern Suburbs is my favourite beach and a boogie boarding mecca. Have a look at the Tamarama Bodyboarders Facebook page

Tamarama Surf Life Saving Club

Ok, I'm a little bit biased towards Tamarama, but I've been a Club member since 1993 and was Club Caretaker from 1995-1998. It's a great beach and a great Club. Why not join and/or support them? http://www.tamaramaslsc.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome

The Beast Magazine

A great little monthly mag that captures the heart and soul of the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. If you live overseas and want to dip vicariously into the Sydney beach lifestyle, it’s worth a read! There’s also a regular Science of the Surf column.

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