It’s summer and time to enjoy the beach, but beaches can be dangerous, even for experienced beachgoers and swimmers, so here are my top 5 beach safety tips:
1. Always swim between the red and yellow flags.
It’s so important, particularly if you have kids, are not a confident ocean swimmer, and don’t understand much about waves and rip currents.
Lifeguards and lifesavers do an amazing job of keeping you safe. So please try and find a patrolled beach and swim between the flags, or at least close to the lifeguards.
If they can’t see you, they can’t save you.
2. Always THINK about beach safety.
Even if you go to a patrolled beach, you must get in the habit of always spending a few minutes thinking about beach safety when you arrive.
What are the conditions like? Is the surf too rough? Is there a nasty shore dump? Are there rips? Do you know what a rip is? Are there flags further down the beach? Who can help if you get into trouble? You don’t cross the road without looking both ways and you should never go in the ocean without spending some time thinking about beach safety.
3. Know your rip currents.
All surf beaches have rips. These strong, narrow seaward-flowing currents often occupy deeper channels along the beach and against headlands and rocks, and some can suddenly appear out of nowhere when large waves break. Do you know how to spot rips? If not, look at my Rip of the Month feature at www.scienceofthesurf.com
There’s also lots of fantastic educational information at www.ripcurrentsafety.com including the National Geographic documentary Rip Current Heroes.
4. Keep your eyes open.
Never turn your back on breaking waves when you are coming out of the ocean, especially dumping waves.
Look for bluebottles (jellyfish) washed up on the beach. If they’re on the beach, they’re probably in the water. Just being a little bit more observant can end up saving you a lot of pain.
5. Don’t rush in.
If you see someone in trouble, don’t just run in to help them. Tragically, many bystanders drown trying to save others in the surf. If you do see someone in trouble, even if it’s a family member, it’s important to not rush in, but take 10 seconds to think about what you should do. Get someone to go get a lifeguard or call for help. Look for something on the beach that will float that will give the person you are trying to save (and yourself) something to hold onto.
Thinking about beach safety will go a long way to making sure you have a great and safe time at the beach. Make it a lifelong habit!