Riptides - is a east or west riptide?

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by Revelations

Then you need to go sailing!
We encounter riptides in the middle of the Atlantic as well as the Indian Ocean - thousands of miles away from any beach.

I have a situation which calls for the riptide to be labelled.
So is it East or West?

What you are experiencing at sea is commonly known as an "Ekman Transport", a wind driven layer of water 10m to 200m deep that appears as a Current" that moves roughly 90º to the right of the wind direction in the northern hemisphere and 90º to the left in the southern hemisphere. An Ekman Transport is distinctly different from a "rip tide" tho' both can get a bit out of hand.

FWIW...

[Viking Sailor]

A West-Setting Current moves the water (and anything on or in it) from the east to the west. Thus, the symbols shown are for a East-Setting current.

[StuM]

Lots of misinformation here. BelizeSailor as usual has it right,

By convention: winds are named for where they come from; currents are name for where they are "setting" to.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Revelations

Then you need to go sailing!
We encounter riptides in the middle of the Atlantic as well as the Indian Ocean - thousands of miles away from any beach.

I have a situation which calls for the riptide to be labelled.
So is it East or West?

You do not encounter "rip tides" in mid ocean.

"Rip tides" and "rip currents" are the result of the interaction between sea and land.

Rip tides are fast current caused by tidal inflow or outflow through a narrow constriction.
Rip currents are fast currents caused by coastal shape and bottom contours combined with wind and wave direction.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

I would name that icon west current

But... it's setting to the East.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Correct, just as the above post said.

A west wind comes from the west and blows west to east.

A current is the same

No, it's the opposite.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by StuM

But... it's setting to the West.

Ahhhhhhhhhh[emoji12]

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Ahhhhhhhhhh[emoji12]

Sorry about that. I edited as quickly as possible

[1Sunseeker]

Why not Rip Currant/Tide #1, #2, #3, etc? Or how about #A, #B, #C, etc?

[waterman46]

Currents are given the direction in which they flow, or to use the correct nautical term, the direction in which they "set" a vessel (just the opposite of the usual wind nomenclature). A current running from west to east is an easterly current or easterly setting current. I've never seen this custom reversed.

The "riptides" usually found along beaches that get swimmers in trouble are normally caused by wave action. Waves spend much of their energy on the points of land, and this causes some flow of water parallel to the shore toward any slight indentation in the coastline. When the current running parallel to the shore meets a similar current coming from the opposite direction, the water is forced to flow direction away from the beach toward the ocean.

For sailors, it is rare to be influenced by this sort of rip current since we don't want to spend much time so close to the beach!

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by Revelations

I don't have the time nor interest arguing about words, where riptides or rip currents occur, the definition of the words, why they occur or the conditions under which they occur.

You don't have the time or interest in explaining your meaning of the words you are using and then are unhappy with the folks you have asked for help because they don't automatically understand what you meant.

[SailtheWind]

Originally Posted by 1Sunseeker

Why not Rip Currant/Tide #1, #2, #3, etc? Or how about #A, #B, #C, etc?

This seems the bests solution that would allow Revelations to create icons to reside n the same folder.

[Cadence]

Calling them rip tides or rip currents seem sophomoric to debate. They are on the beach, at the confluence of waterways or in the ocean with thermals. A direction depends a where you are.

[1Sunseeker]

Now now Adelie, be nice, I think the man was asking for clarification. My previous post was meant to KIS. (Keep it simple)

[jmschmidt]

Too many advanced degrees on this forum. Just say the wind is blowing from the west or the current is running from the west. Or toward the west if you prefer. Every one will know what you mean but here they will continue to parse your words anyway.