Even a normal rip can be dangerous let alone whatever that thing is. Photos: Jamen Percy // Instagram
Rip currents are no joke. To swimmers, they can be legitimately deadly in the wrong circumstances. Of course, to surfers, they’re also a convenient opportunity to ride an aquatic conveyor belt out to your local lineup. However, even the most adept surfer probably doesn’t want to tangle with whatever the hell was brewing off the coast of Manly Beach this week.
The phenomena was captured by surf photographer Jamen Percy on Monday. As seen in a series of Instagram posts, swirling waters off the Australian beach’s coast created a terrifying-looking vortex that has been dubbed a “tornado rip.”
“Invisible to see from land, but perfectly visible by drone – which is what makes them so dangerous to swimmers,” explained Percy in the caption. “They are underwater currents, maelstrom by definition, that can pull you out to sea or under, caused by big waves from a swell event. The drone provided an excellent vision of this natural spectacle. The ocean is epic.”
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