Even on a beautiful beach day, dangerous rip currents can be present, and knowing how to spot them could save your life.

A rip current is a powerful, narrow channel of fast-moving water that flows away from the shore, cutting through incoming waves. These currents form when waves break strongly in some areas of the beach and weakly in others, causing water to rush back toward deeper water in concentrated streams.

They can move at speeds faster than an Olympic swimmer, making them one of the leading hazards at the beach.

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Rip currents are often mistaken for undertows, but they don’t pull swimmers underwater. Instead, they drag them away from shore, sometimes hundreds of yards out. This sudden movement can cause panic, which is why so many rip current deaths occur each summer.

The key safety tip is to avoid fighting against the current. Instead, experts advise swimming parallel to the shoreline until you escape the channel, and then angle back toward the beach.

Meteorologists monitor wave conditions and beach topography to predict when rip currents are most likely. Strong onshore winds, large swells and tropical systems (even if hundreds of miles away) often make them more common. For coastal communities, knowing about rip currents and what to do if caught in one could be life-saving.

Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.