Riptides - is a east or west riptide?

[svrevelations]

How does one call riptides – from the direction it flows or to the direction it flows? So, if a riptide flows from east to west, is it called a East or a West riptide?

[Captain Bill]

A rip tide flows away from a beach. I've never heard of a rip tide being labeled with a direction.

[svrevelations]

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?

[hellosailor]

There is no such thing as a riptide. It is a rip CURRENT. Always and only caused when winds are blowing from offshore, piling water up on the beach, and then the water finds places to rush back out to sea. After 50-100 yards, they dissipate.

They are rarely housebroken and will not come when called, either.

[Captain Bill]

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?

Hello sailor is technically correct in calling it a rip current, I just didn't want to get in a nomenclature argument with you. There is no such thing as a rip tide or rip current in open ocean. If you can show me proof of one I'll demand my money back for my six years of college and my degree in Marine Science (combination of Marine Biology and Oceanography). I don't know what kind of current you are talking about but it is not a rip of any sort. That's not to say there are not currents in open ocean, they are just not rip currents.

[svrevelations]

As it turns out, there IS such a thing as riptides (see last paragraph):
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ripcurrent.html

Whilst we seem to be arguing about words, in which I have no interest, I still don't have an answer to my question. Neither do I care where it appears or not - I simply want to know how to name them as per my original post.

[hellosailor]

NOAA is not known for hiring fools, but as my oceanography prof used to tell us, and sources as diverse as Chapman's and Bowditch also seem to believe, a TIDE is the vertical change of water level, a CURRENT is a lateral movement.

When that paragraph you found refers to a rip "tide" as being a subcategory of CURRENT moving through a restriction like an inlet? Whoever wrote it was simply wrong. Being "published" on the internet doesn't make things real, much less correct.

There are tidal rips and bores, and perhaps the author confused a tidal rip with being a "rip tide". I don't think any of us still have any idea what you are talking about.

Were you inspired by the paragraph you found online? You're talking about currents passing through restrictions in inlets? Or something out in open water?

Bear in mind that a "westerly" wind can mean BOTH a wind coming from the west, and a wind blowing INTO the west, depending on which community is using the term. (They confuse "west" and "westerly" and yes, I've heard professionals with multiple degrees do it.) Some terms are simply best avoided because of issues like that.

[svrevelations]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

NOAA is not known for hiring fools, but as my oceanography prof used to tell us, and sources as diverse as Chapman's and Bowditch also seem to believe, a TIDE is the vertical change of water level, a CURRENT is a lateral movement.

When that paragraph you found refers to a rip "tide" as being a subcategory of CURRENT moving through a restriction like an inlet? Whoever wrote it was simply wrong. Being "published" on the internet doesn't make things real, much less correct.

There are tidal rips and bores, and perhaps the author confused a tidal rip with being a "rip tide". I don't think any of us still have any idea what you are talking about.

Were you inspired by the paragraph you found online? You're talking about currents passing through restrictions in inlets? Or something out in open water?

Bear in mind that a "westerly" wind can mean BOTH a wind coming from the west, and a wind blowing INTO the west, depending on which community is using the term. (They confuse "west" and "westerly" and yes, I've heard professionals with multiple degrees do it.) Some terms are simply best avoided because of issues like that.

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.

I'm busy making 8 icons showing riptides (or if you prefer, rip currents) flowing in different directions. These icons cannot have the same name as it will be stored in the same folder. So, I thought it wise to give them names based on the direction it flows, eg; Riptide East.png, Riptide West.png, Riptide South.png, etc.

But I do not want to call it Riptide East.png if it indeed should be Riptide West.png. Hence the question in my original post.

So .... do you know or not?

[Sailmonkey]

I would name that icon west current

[hellosailor]

If a north wind comes from the north, then that must be a west current. Of course if these are strictly for your personal use, the name doesn't matter, does it? If they are for a larger audience, you might call it "eastbound current" to ensure there's no confusion.

[svrevelations]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

I would name that icon west current

Thank you!
On a chart, the above icon will show the current flowing from west to east - thus it should be called a "west current". Am I understanding you correctly?

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Revelations

Thank you!
On a chart, the above icon will show the current flowing from west to east - thus it should be called a "west current". Am I understanding you correctly?

Correct, just as the above post said.

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

A current is the same

[svrevelations]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

If a north wind comes from the north, then that must be a west current. Of course if these are strictly for your personal use, the name doesn't matter, does it? If they are for a larger audience, you might call it "eastbound current" to ensure there's no confusion.

"Eastbound current" is perhaps the better way to do it as there can be no confusion. Thank you!

[belizesailor]

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.

I'm busy making 8 icons showing riptides (or if you prefer, rip currents) flowing in different directions. These icons cannot have the same name as it will be stored in the same folder. So, I thought it wise to give them names based on the direction it flows, eg; Riptide East.png, Riptide West.png, Riptide South.png, etc.

But I do not want to call it Riptide East.png if it indeed should be Riptide West.png. Hence the question in my original post.

So .... do you know or not?

Then dont...you asked for assistance and now dont want it...name it whatever you wish.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Revelations

Thank you!
On a chart, the above icon will show the current flowing from west to east - thus it should be called a "west current". Am I understanding you correctly?

Current "set" (the direction of flow) is normally given in degress True in the direction it is flowing to. So a "West" current would be flowing toward 270 degrees.

Winds by contrast are named for where they are blowing from.