Gigi Simmons

Short summary: A day at the beach can be fun and exciting; however there are important rules that beach area residents have learned that are critical for beach safety. Avoid these common beach day mistakes and have an enjoyable beach vacation to remember. 5 Important Tips for a Beach Day When you visit the beach for a vacation, it can be so exciting and such a fun-filled adventure. Just think of all the fun sand to play in building sand castles. There are beautiful little sea shells washed up onto the beach for you to collect and take home. You can get that sun-kissed tan and relax with the waves splashing on your feet, not to mention digging your toes into the sand. There are jet skis to ride and the adventurous types can go swimming out further away from the crowd. You can relax on your beach towel or beach chair and watch all the beach goers enjoy their day. You’ll take lots of pictures of your fun beach vacation to share when you get back home. This is all fun and great, but when you are a beach area resident, you discover there are very important rules to follow if you plan to enjoy the beach. Most people aren’t aware of these common mistakes because they only visit the beach while on vacation. The beach is not always a fun and exciting vacation day for everyone. These important tips can help you enjoy your day at the beach and avoid mishaps or injuries. Here are the 5 most important tips from beach area residents. 1. Bring a beach umbrella and plan to use it. You might think that bringing a beach umbrella is not necessary, too big to lug around and carry onto the sand, and you want to get a tan so you’ll just bring a beach towel. If you plan to spend more than one hour on the beach, you should be using a beach umbrella to create a shaded area for you to rest when you’re not in the water. Most people are unaware that once you are in the hot sun, there is no escape when you become either over-heated or start to sunburn. A large percentage of people who visit the beach quickly become over-heated which can result in a heat stroke or sun stroke. It’s important to protect your skin from painful sunburn. 2. Do not bring food. If you don’t frequent the beach often, it might seem like a real money-saving idea to bring your own food to the beach; that way when the kids get hungry you can hand them a sandwich or a snack. A tip from a beach resident says that you should never plan on eating food while you are on the beach. The seagulls on the beach can be fun to watch as they scurry around looking for bits to eat or try to catch a fish from the water for their lunch. But why should they look for a fish to pluck out of the water when you have a sandwich in your hands? The seagulls are not afraid to come down and grab the food from your hand before you even get a chance to take a bite. This can be very hazardous especially if you have children. You don’t want a hungry seagull or bird on the beach risk hurting your child by having food in their hands. Make sure you go to a safe area to eat your food. Most people don’t realize this, but the restaurants that offer a seat with a view of the beach is very popular; but in order to make this seating safe for diners, they must place safety wires over the seating areas. To prevent the seagulls from swooping down and grabbing your food while you’re seated in the outdoor area, there are barely visible wires that are strung over the seating area that prevent the birds from taking your lunch. The birds can also leave scratches if they grab the food from your hands. Don’t bring snacks and foods onto the beach area or plan to snack while you have fun in the sand. It won’t be fun when you are swarmed by birds trying to take the food from your hand. 3. Do not bring valuables. You may want to bring your wallet and possibly a watch, your cell phone and other items for your convenience while on the sand. It’s not a good idea to bring anything with you onto the sand other than the absolute necessary items such as sunblock lotion, towels and other important items for safety. Not everyone on the beach is there to have fun for the day and could be planning to take your items. If you leave your area where your towels and chairs are spread out, someone can walk over and take your items while you’re in the water playing with the kids or swimming. Leave your valuables locked up in your car. You can always return if you need something. 4. Bring plenty of water. There are not many opportunities to purchase water once you’re on the beach. It can also be quite a distance to walk to get water once you’re out on the sand. For that reason, you should always bring an adequate supply of water with you, preferably in a small cooler to keep it cold. This is extremely important to prevent dehydration which can happen quickly. Drinking plenty of water can help prevent sunstroke or heatstroke, which can be lifethreatening. Some people on the beach can start to show signs of heatstroke, but are unable to safely walk the distance off of the beach to an area where they can get treatment. If you become light-headed, dizzy, feel faint and feel weak, it’s already too late. 5. Wear shoes at all times. You may think that digging your toes into the sand sounds so relaxing and can’t wait to feel the sand between your toes. Take a tip from a resident and wear shoes at all times. There are many safety reasons why you should not be on the beach without shoes. Wearing shoes on the beach is important because the sand is very hot and will cause burns and blistering on your feet if not protected. It may not be hot enough in the morning when you arrive on the sand, but later in the afternoon when you’re finally ready to go home, the sand can be extremely hot and can cause burns. Always plan to put your shoes on before walking on the sand. The sand can expose hidden risks that you are not aware of if you don’t frequent the beach often. The following items can be found in the sand and can be hazardous: sharp pieces of beach shells, broken glass, fish hooks, broken pieces of plastic from plastic toys or beach items, keys if someone has dropped their keys, any other items that people have dropped or misplaced and have been left in the sand. The sand is groomed frequently by being turned over and raked through by the beach attendants. This is done to even the sand out and it removes most hidden debris. Since it’s difficult to remove all hidden debris, wearing shoes is important. To prevent burns and injuries to your feet, always wear shoes. While you are in the water you should also be wearing shoes so plan to bring a pair of water shoes. There are shoes made for wearing in the water that are made of a mesh area with a solid rubberized sole to protect your feet. These rubber sole also prevents slipping. There can be sharp shell pieces or fish hooks in the water so be careful and make sure that your kids keep their shoes on at all times. Remember to use these important safety rules to enjoy your beach day!