Introduction

Surfers, swimmers, and beachgoers face a hidden danger in the ocean: rip currents. These narrow channels of water can flow away from the shore at speeds up to 2.5 meters per second, making them one of the biggest safety risks for those enjoying the ocean. To help keep beachgoers safe, Dr. Christo Rautenbach, a coastal and estuarine physical processes scientist, has teamed up with the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand to develop a real-time rip current identification tool using deep learning. On this episode of the NVIDIA AI podcast, host Noah Kravitz interviews Dr. Rautenbach about the technology behind the rip current detection tool. The tool was developed by Dr. Rautenbach and NIWA in collaboration with Surf Lifesaving New Zealand and achieved a detection rate of roughly 90% in trials. The research behind the technology was published in the November 22nd edition of the journal Remote Sensing. Dr. Rautenbach explains how AI can be used to identify rip currents, a critical step in keeping beachgoers safe. He shares the research behind the technology and the results of the trials, as well as the potential for this tool to be used globally to help reduce the number of fatalities caused by rip currents. Tune in. https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2023/02/15/rip