01, ScopeWhat RipCo is.
RipCo is an iOS app that helps people in Australia make informed decisions about which beach to visit and when. It does this by aggregating publicly available data, weather forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology, patrol status from Surf Life Saving NSW, live cameras from local councils, and adding a computer-vision layer that highlights likely rip currents on those camera feeds.
Think of RipCo the way you would think of a weather app: it gives you better information for a decision you are still going to make yourself.
02, Out of scopeWhat RipCo is not.
RipCo can
- Show you the live conditions and forecast at a beach.
- Tell you whether a beach is patrolled right now.
- Highlight likely rip currents on a live camera frame.
- Surface verified hazards from SLSNSW within seconds.
- Help you choose a safer alternative when conditions are bad.
RipCo cannot
- Replace a qualified surf life saver on the sand.
- Call emergency services on your behalf.
- Detect every rip, every time, on every beach.
- See underwater hazards (rocks, debris, marine life).
- Save you if you swim outside the flags.
RipCo is not an emergency service. The app does not call 000. If you see someone in distress, call 000 immediately and signal a lifeguard. Do not enter the water unless you are trained.
03, Capabilities & limitsWhat we can and can't see.
| Hazard | RipCo visibility | Your responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Rip currents (visible from camera) | High, model averages 94% confidence on confirmed rips | Confirm with lifeguards before entering |
| Rip currents (not in camera frame) | None, we can only see what the camera sees | Treat absence of detection as absence of evidence, not absence of risk |
| Big surf / dumping waves | Indirect, via swell forecast | Visual check from the sand before entering |
| Sharks & marine life | None directly, we relay SLSNSW alerts only | Heed all closures; observe drone-spotter signals |
| Bluebottles, jellyfish | None | Check beach signs and lifeguard reports |
| Submerged hazards | None | Walk the beach; ask lifeguards about rocks/reefs |
| Lightning & storms | Indirect, via BoM warnings | Leave the water at the first sign of lightning |
| UV & heat exhaustion | Indirect, via UV index | Sunscreen, hat, hydration regardless of app |
04, PrinciplesSix safety principles.
If you take six things from RipCo, take these:
Patrolled beach, every time
If you can swim at a patrolled beach, swim at a patrolled beach. The map shows you which ones are open. If none nearby are patrolled, do something else.
Between the flags
Inside the red-and-yellow flags, every time. The flags mark the area lifeguards are watching. Step outside them and you are on your own.
Honest self-assessment
Are you a confident swimmer in surf, today, in this water? If "no" or "maybe", stay closer to shore than you think you need to.
Buddy up
Never swim alone. Tell someone on shore where you are heading and roughly when you'll be back.
If caught in a rip
Don't fight it. Float, raise an arm, signal for help. Swim parallel to the beach when the pull eases. Lifeguards are trained for this.
When in doubt, sit it out
The beach will be there tomorrow. RipCo will tell you when it's better. Going home is sometimes the best decision the app can help you make.
05, AI limitsThe AI detection has limits. Here they are.
We are committed to being honest about what our AI rip-detection can and cannot do. Things that affect detection quality:
- Camera angle and field of view. We can only see what's in frame. Some beaches have cameras that miss the southern or northern ends entirely.
- Lighting. Detection is materially worse in low-light, glare, and heavy overcast. Night detection is not supported.
- Visibility. Heavy rain, sea fog, or salt-spray on the lens can suppress detections. We display a "low visibility" warning when we detect it.
- Distance. Detections far from the camera (more than ~150m) have larger error bars. We display the bounding box but lower the confidence accordingly.
- Novelty. If a beach has unusual physical features (a lagoon, a reef break, an estuary), the model may be less accurate there until we retrain on local footage.
- False negatives. The model misses some real rips. We will never claim it catches all of them.
Confidence numbers shown in the app are the model's own self-reported confidence. We do not display detections below 70% as confirmed rips, instead they appear as "possible".
06, Data limitsData quality & latency.
RipCo aggregates data from multiple sources. Each has its own latency and quality profile:
| Data | Source | Refresh | Failure mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live camera | Council / club | 6 fps | Stream offline → "live unavailable" |
| AI detection | RipCo | ~4 seconds | Model offline → "AI unavailable" |
| Wind, swell | BoM | 10 minutes | API outage → last known + timestamp |
| Patrol status | SLSNSW | 30 minutes | Outage → display last known + warning |
| Hazard alerts | SLSNSW | seconds | Push fails → in-app banner on next open |
| Tide | BoM | 4 hours | Cached forecast for 7 days |
If a data source is offline, RipCo will say so explicitly. We never silently fall back to stale or imputed data.
07, Your responsibilitiesYour responsibilities as a user.
By using RipCo you agree that you:
- Will not rely on RipCo as the sole basis for any decision to enter the water.
- Will respect all on-beach signage, flag positions, and lifeguard instructions, even if they contradict information shown in the app.
- Will not enter the water if you cannot swim, are intoxicated, are alone, or are otherwise impaired.
- Will not enter water that is closed, outside the flags, or after the patrol has finished for the day.
- Will accept that conditions can change in minutes and that no app, however good, can predict every change.
08, EmergencyIn an emergency.
Call Triple Zero immediately.
If you can see a lifeguard tower, signal them. If you can see other beachgoers, ask them to call 000 while you keep eyes on the person in the water. Do not enter the water yourself unless you are trained in surf rescue. Untrained rescuers commonly drown alongside the original victim.
For non-emergency reports, closures, hazards you observed, app problems, please email hello@ripco.app. Do not use email for an emergency.
09, ChildrenChildren & vulnerable swimmers.
Drowning is a leading cause of unintentional death for Australian children. RipCo is suitable for use by parents and guardians, but the app does not relieve any adult of their duty of supervision. Specifically:
- Children under 5 should be within arm's reach of a competent adult at all times in any open water.
- Children aged 5–10 should be within sight of, and easily called back by, a competent adult.
- Children aged 10+ should still swim on a patrolled beach, between the flags, in a buddy pair, with a competent adult on shore.
- Older swimmers, swimmers recovering from illness, and swimmers under the influence of alcohol or medication face elevated risk and should err generously toward the shore.
10, PartnersPartner endorsements & sources.
RipCo's safety messaging is reviewed annually by Surf Life Saving NSW. Source data is licensed from the Bureau of Meteorology and SLSNSW. Live camera operators are listed on our coverage page.
"Beach safety is everyone's responsibility. Tools that help the public make better decisions are welcome, provided they reinforce, not replace, the rule that swimming should happen between the flags on a patrolled beach. RipCo is built around that rule."
SLSNSW Education & Engagement (advisory note, 2026)
Changelog · v2.0 (1 Jan 2026), Added §3 capability table, expanded AI limits · v1.0 (Q3 2025), Initial disclaimer.
Read the rest of the legal docs.
Privacy Policy · Terms of Service · all written in plain English.
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