Two people died over the weekend after drowning in suspected rip currents off the Florida coast, local authorities reported.

Rip currents are powerful, channeled currents of water flowing away from shore that can quickly pull swimmers into deeper water. They are responsible for numerous drownings along U.S. coastlines each year, particularly during peak beach season.

The incidents occurred as beachgoers flocked to Florida's coastlines during the weekend. Authorities did not immediately release additional details about the specific locations or circumstances of the drownings.

Safety experts recommend that swimmers caught in rip currents should not attempt to swim directly back to shore against the current. Instead, they advise swimming parallel to the shoreline until escaping the current's pull, then swimming at an angle back toward shore.