What share of rescues by U.S. surf beach lifeguards involve rip currents?
Answerover 80%
Lifeguards rescue tens of thousands of people from rip currents in the U.S. every year.
Source: United States Lifesaving Association, Rip Currents usla.org
Outdoors · Facts & sources
Beach facts & stats
6 sourced facts about beaches, each with the context behind the number. 4 more are in today's round and appear here after it closes.
The basics
About how many people die each year in the U.S. because of rip currents?
Answerover 100
NOAA likewise estimates that about 100 people are killed by rip currents annually.
Source: United States Lifesaving Association, Rip Currents usla.org
Going deeper
How many miles of shoreline does the United States have, according to NOAA?
Answer95,439 statute miles
More than a third of that total — 33,904 miles — is in Alaska.
Source: NOAA Office for Coastal Management, Shoreline Mileage of the United States (2024) coast.noaa.gov
How fast have rip currents been measured moving?
Answerup to 8 feet per second
Average speeds are 1–2 feet per second, but the fastest rips move faster than an Olympic swimmer.
Source: United States Lifesaving Association, Rip Currents usla.org
Expert level
Which state has MORE miles of shoreline than California (3,427 miles)?
AnswerMaine (3,478 miles)
California's 3,427 miles falls just 51 miles short of Maine's total.
Source: NOAA Office for Coastal Management, Shoreline Mileage of the United States (2024) coast.noaa.gov
USLA calculates the chance of fatally drowning at a beach protected by its affiliated lifeguards as 1 in how many?
Answer1 in 18 million
USLA puts that chance at about .0000055%.
Source: United States Lifesaving Association, National Lifesaving Statistics usla.org
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