re: Has the rip current situation from Gulf Shores - Destin improved any?

The winds have died down and therefore the waves and therefore the riptides, that's correct.

Riptides are from the excessive amount of water pushed in from larger waves. Usually larger waves are the result of stronger winds from the south, southeast, or southwest. So when the winds are light or out of the north, there really is little to no riptides.

ETA: Just think about all the water coming in from the larger waves, has to recede somehow and that's a riptide. So if there's not a lot of water pushed in, there's nothing that has to push back out.