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GT,
The article actually said that they were teaching English "in the village of Samara on the southwest coast." as well as visiting San Jose, Arenal and other inland destinations, so I'd assume it was there that this happened.
As ID and others indicated, there are actually LOTS of beaches with dangerous undertows and no signage or lifeguard services. This article also said that "Police, lifeguards and a Red Cross chapter are assisting in the search." though whether there were actually any lifeguards there at the time of the accident is less clear (probably not, but possibly yes based just on that sentence).
Naturally, riptides should be avoided but they don't at all have to be deadly. Most fatalities are due to panic and not knowing what to do if caught in one, which is really very simple. First and foremost, don't panic and don't fight it. Swimming against it can tire out even the best swimmers and and thats when you drown. Swim PARALLEL to the shore NOT TOWARDS it. Riptides are usually not very wide (rarely as much as 100 ft wide), but if you can't swim across it, then just relax, conserve your strength and LET IT carry you out to sea. Riptide currents do not usually extend very far out from shore either (maybe a couple of hundred yards if that) and weaken considerably as they do. When you feel the current lessen, swim normally back to shore or perhaps diagonally away from the rip tide current so that you don't swim back into it. The link that Dave provided goes into additional detail but that is basically all there is to it.
That link also included some good tips for spotting riptides (along with all the technical jargon) and like I said before avoiding a riptide to begin with is the best way of all to avoid getting into trouble. Riptides can generally be spotted IF you know what to look for. Signs of a riptide include
a) low waves in one spot, between higher waves when you look out to sea.
b) an area having a notable difference in water color (from sand being washed out to sea)
c) a change in the shore pattern such as a spit of sand or a narrow trench or ditch extending out into the sea
d) a line of foam, seaweed, or debris moving steadily seaward
e) or other breaks in the normal incoming wave pattern such as a channel of churning, choppy water
These signs can be very subtle and not so easy for the average beachgoer to spot, but wearing polarized sunglasses can make it easier to see the rip current clues provided above.
Another piece of advice that I didn't see in that article is that ripcurrents can occur in very shallow water. It may seem obvious when I say it but may not be so obvious at the time, but if the water you're in is not too deep, try to get your feet down on the ocean bottom. That may enable you to better resist the current and possibly walk out of it (again parallel to the beach)
My last bit of advice is, if you've heard that a particular beach is known for having riptides, you're not so sure how to spot them and you're not a particular good swimmer then maybe you shouldn't go out in the water
Some other useful or interesting bits of info:
1) Some people (like GT) sometimes use the term "undertow" when talking about rip tide or rip current. Rip current is actually the most accurate description of the phenomenon. But the term undertow, in particular, can be very misleading and is not preferred. That is because rip currents drag people out to sea, but they don't drag them underwater as undertow suggests.
2) Surfers and lifeguards often actually USE rip currents to get out from shore more quickly.
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