Okay. Here are a couple of tips.
Avoiding rip currents: If waves are coming onto the beach parallel to the beach, there is a potential to develop rip currents. The water pushed up by the waves will flow back out somewhere, and that usually means that at some point where the bottom favors it, there will be a strong current back into the body of water. THese currents may be mild, or strong and can carry the unwary well off shore. If you are aware of the angle the waves make with the beach, you can avoid rip current conditions.
If you do get caught in a rip current do not try to swim directly back to shore (against the current), but swim parallel to the shoreline (at right angles to the current) until you are out of the current, then swim in to shore.
Longshore currents: This is a nearshore phenomenon which carries sand down the beach, and moves objects along it offshore and in the surf zone, including people. In most places the effects are mild, but the prevailing current can carry the unwary down the beach away from where they came into the water, and usually are parallel to the beach.
Depending on how vigorous the waves are, and the angle they are hitting the shore, these currents can get fairly strong, but usually are more a nuisance than something life-threatening. Swimming in to shore will carry the swimmer across the current.
If waves are breaking on the shore at an angle, the current will be flowing in the direction from where the waves hit first to where they hit later. These are usually strongest where there are sandbars offshore parallel to the shoreline, or where there are low barrier islands.
About boating, one more thing: More than half of the male drowning victims recovered when I was a fireman had their fly open. They fell out of the boat and could not get back in. Not only does it help to have someone with you when fishing (to help you back into the boat if you fall out) but it might be a good idea to have a coffee can or bucket to use to urinate into and dump over the side, rather than wave at the fishies.
