A subsurface current flowing seaward beneath incoming waves, created as water returns to the ocean after being pushed ashore. This bottom-flowing current is typically much weaker than surface waves.
From 'under' plus 'tow,' literally meaning 'to pull from below.' The term appeared in the mid-19th century as coastal engineering developed, describing the sensation of being pulled underwater by returning wave energy.
Undertow is often misunderstood as a dangerous force, but it's actually just the ocean's way of recycling water! The real danger comes from its ability to knock people off their feet in the surf zone, not from pulling them far from shore like in Hollywood movies.
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