Yes, good story. Panama City is very different from other parts of Florida.
Concerning riptides, I was always taught to go with the current until it ends, then swim sideways and head into the beach.
Swim sideways (parallel with the shore) until you're out of the rip, then swim to shore.
Remembering that prolly saved my life in `79 off Ocean beach, San Diego.
Not a bad swimmer at all, but the harder I tried to swim to shore the farther away I found myself.
Don’t panic, just remember: swim parallel to shore, then try again.
You're right - swimming WITH the riptide's a person's best chance...or better yet just float with it until it gives out - - then swim to shore.
The Spring of 77’ my Captain invited me to go to PCB with his family. We were on the beach, I was close to shore and apparently the rip tide took him out. He yelled out at me and he was neck deep and going away from the beach. I was in really good shape back then so I swam out to him and by then he was blown. I grabbed him by the swimsuit and swam with him parallel to the beach until I could no longer feel the current drag me away from shore. We swam back to the beach and we were a mile down the beach or better, crawled up on the beach, and laid there for a half hour or better. I had learned about swift water from swimming in the Red River after rainstorms and to swim diagonally and with the current. Sadly,the next weekend the rip tides took fourteen kids from Tennessee that went into the water oblivious to the danger.