New documentary highlights rip current dangers in the Cape Fear

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — As families prepare to visit Cape Fear beaches for the upcoming summer season, a new documentary aims to highlight one of the hidden dangers in the ocean.

Rip Current Rescue was shot at some of the nation’s most popular beaches in several states, including California, Florida, New England, and Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.

According to the United States Lifesaving Association, rip currents account for more than 80% of rescues performed by beach lifeguards. Approximately 100 people die in rip currents in the US each year.

Executive Producer Steve Kudzius says he and his wife Erin were inspired to create the documentary by their personal experiences.

“I was involved in an unfortunate tragedy, or multiple tragedies with people that drowned while I was on beach patrol,” Kudzius said. “And from there, the ongoing drive to try and stop drownings didn’t leave me.”

When asked how the Australian couple identified Wrightsville Beach as a location to include in their documentary, Kudzius said they found aspects of the beach town interesting.

“It was very interesting to find that the fire department is part of the beach rescue team, so we worked with Sam Proffitt to understand how that all sort of works,” Kudzius said. “And in Wrightsville beach, there is definitely structural rips occurring and also it has a lot of flash rips in there too, which is probably the most dangerous rip out there.”

Kudzius says the documentary explains what to do if you are caught in a rip.

“It’s not going to drag you down under the water, it’s going to take you out to sea and generally not a great deal of distance out to sea,” he said. “The biggest thing you gotta do is not panic, and if you’ve got a floatation device, hold onto it.

Kudzius adds many people who drown in rip currents are trying to save others.

“If you’re someone who is coming to the aid of someone in a rip, the biggest thing you need to bring is a floatation device, providing you can float, you can stay above the water,” he said.

Rip Current Rescue will be premiering on PBS, and can be rented on several streaming platforms including Vudu Fandango, iTunes, YouTube, Google Play and Vimeo.

You can find out more information here.