The ocean can look like a mess and some of the tell-tale signs of rips can be very subtle.

But it's still worth pausing and assessing the waves before you jump in.

Surprisingly, more people drown in rips each year than deaths from shark attacks, floods and cyclones combined.

In a bid to combat the ongoing issue of drowning deaths along the Australian coastline, Surf Life Saving Australia has produced a sobering safety campaign highlighting the serious dangers of rip currents.

And don't think just because you're Australian, you automatically are "beach-aware". That's not the case. Only a small percentage of people who drown in rips are international visitors.

The statistics also show that men are more likely than women to come to grief in the surf. Most people who drowned in rips in 2016 and 2017 were men (83 per cent).