Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department crews spent time this week training inside a rip current that isn't in the ocean at all — it's in a swimming pool. The department has acquired a Slipstream rip current simulator, a device that turns a standard pool into a controlled version of the powerful currents that pull swimmers away from shore, just as local beaches face a high-risk rip current forecast for the weekend.
The simulator connects to a standard pool and generates an adjustable current designed to replicate real ocean conditions, according to News4JAX. It's intended for JFRD's ocean rescue, swiftwater rescue, and special operations first responders, who practice swimming in and out of the current while performing rescue techniques. As WOKV reports, the device is capable of moving up to 3,000 gallons of water, giving instructors the ability to dial the intensity up or down.
A Current That Scales From Lazy River To Ocean Force
JFRD Division Chief of Rescue M. Dallas Cooke said the flow can be adjusted across a wide range, from gentle to genuinely forceful. “We can titrate it up and make it as easy as a lazy river or as forceful to simulate the actual environment in the ocean,” Cooke said, per the same WOKV report. He also said the tool gives firefighters an experience they simply cannot get sitting in a classroom.
Cooke described the simulator as a way to expose trainees to rip-current-like conditions without the unpredictability and danger of a live ocean drill. “This tool allows us to simulate rip currents in a more controlled environment,” he said. JFRD Ocean Rescue Captain Bailey Judah offered a similar assessment, saying the device closely mirrors the real thing even if it can't capture every variable a swimmer might face in open water. “It definitely simulates a real riptide out in the current,” Judah said, though actual ocean currents remain less predictable. According to News4JAX, JFRD personnel who have gone through the training rated the simulator experience an 8 out of 10 compared to an actual rip current.
The Device Behind The Training
The simulator JFRD is using is the Slipstream P3000, which the manufacturer advertises as producing approximately 3,000 gallons of water flow per minute. According to Slipstream's product listing, the system is designed to transform existing or new pools into current-generating training tools without construction or costly permanent installation.
Jacksonville isn't the only Florida community turning to this kind of technology. Volusia County Beach Safety recently unveiled its own portable rip current simulator to educate beachgoers along more than 30 miles of Central Florida Atlantic coast beaches, according to USA Today. The chair of the United States Lifeguard Association's National Certification Committee said he hadn't heard of another portable in-pool simulator quite like it before Volusia County's debut. Near Myrtle Beach, the Pawleys Island YMCA has taken a different approach, installing an Endless Pools Fastlane Pro current system for its own rip-current education initiative, the outlet reported.
Funding Sources Differ Between Programs
Funding for these simulators has come from a patchwork of grants. WOKV reported that the Jacksonville City Council approved $13,900 in grant funding from the Florida Department of Children and Families to JFRD for its device. USA Today reported separately that Volusia County's simulator was purchased with a $12,750 state grant. The two figures apply to different programs, and available reporting does not explain the gap between them.
Why Rescuers Are Preparing Now
The training push comes as local beaches face a high-risk rip current forecast for the weekend, per News4JAX. Local drowning deaths have included Skyler Christian Taylor, who died by accidental drowning after disappearing while swimming near Vilano Beach, and Army veteran Joshua Curtis, the outlet reported. Nationally, the toll has stayed high in recent years: USA Today reported at least 47 rip-current deaths across the United States in 2025, including 15 in Florida and two in Volusia County, following 59 fatalities nationwide in 2024 that included 18 in Florida and three in Volusia County. The CDC reports that roughly 4,000 unintentional drowning deaths occur in the United States every year, according to News4JAX.
JFRD officials say the department is working to prepare for emergencies before they happen, and they're urging beachgoers to stay out of the water during any active warning or if they aren't strong swimmers. For anyone who does get caught in a rip current, the advice from JFRD is consistent: stay calm and relax the body to conserve energy, turn onto your back and float past the breaking waves, and once clear of the current, swim at an angle parallel to the beach before heading back to shore. “Try your best to float and relax and don't fight the current whatsoever,” JFRD advised, according to WOKV.
