Beach user competencies in rip current identification using videos and photographs on a New Zealand surf beach

The risk exposure to rip currents may be reduced by increasing beach users’ ability to effectively identify the presence of rips. Static photographs have been widely used to assess and improve beach users’ identification ability, however this has not led to an overall increase in skill. This pilot study assesses the public’s knowledge of rip currents using two different media types and whether static or moving images make it more (or less) easier to identify rips. A questionnaire was used to assess the rip current identification ability of respondents while at the beach. Short video clips (15-seconds) were found to be no more effective for the identification of rips than photographs, and 50% of respondents were not able to identify rips in either photographs or videos, although some sub-populations of respondents, (those who regularly use rips in surfing activities or those with previous rip education), were slightly better at rip identification. Methodologies that test beach users rip identification competencies may benefit from using a mixture of media to discern rip identification ability more effectively, as confirmation bias may be present in small samples.