To the editor:

The recent, untimely death of “The Cosby Show’s” Malcolm- Jamal Warner reminded me of advice I have given to students in my KU campus courses and during marine biology field courses to the Caribbean.

I have explained in my classes that a common phenomenon on beaches is for two ocean currents to meet at the shore from opposite directions and then sweep out to sea for a short distance. This event is called a “rip current” (formerly known as a “rip tide”). If you and anyone who tries to save you are much more than waist deep in water, you both face the likelihood of being swept out to sea. At that point, a highly predictable panic sets into the brain of anyone involved. The swimmers often then try to swim directly back to shore against the strong current, tire out, and one or both drown unnecessarily.

When faced with this situation, do not panic! Instead, tread water while the current inevitably takes you out a short distance perpendicular to the shore. When the current dissipates (which it will do at a “hollering distance” from shore), swim parallel to the shore in either direction until the predictable, adjacent current sweeps you back to the beach a short distance from where you left.

So far my brief lectures on this subject have been effective; but, sadly, on one trip the student group that followed us lost one swimmer to this very phenomenon. Learn and live!

James H. Thorp,

Lawrence