A safety buoy (100) for use in a rip current area (35) having a rip current comprises a bow section (110) and a stern section (120). The bow section (110) is streamlined and the stern section (120) has a deck area. The safety buoy (100) is advantageously moored in the rip current area (35) so that the streamlined bow faces generally seaward towards incoming swell conditions, while the deck area at the stern section (120) faces generally shoreward and provides a surface for a distressed bather caught in an outgoing rip current.