A Safety Travel Guide for Summers – Beach Edition

With the winter months finally bidding goodbye and the first rays of the summer sun making their way through, we are sure you must have a lot planned for the summer. If hitting the beach is on your list of plans, then we are sure you must be looking forward to the day you visit the sandy beaches and salty shores.

However, as great as the beach is, there are a few safety measures that you should consider before traveling there. Want to know what these measures are and how you can make your day at the beach a safer one? We have the best safety travel guide pointers listed below for you. Let’s dive in!

Beach Safety Tips for Your Summer Vacation

Dipping your toes in the blue waters of the sea after a long time can leave anyone excited to jump in. However, before you let the excitement get to your head, it is essential to read up and keep in mind a few critical beach safety tips for your security. Here are a few of the main ones:

Slather On Sunblock

If there is one tip that is quite obvious to follow when hitting the beach, it is to wear sunscreen. However, if you are someone who doesn’t have a habit of wearing sunscreen every day, we suggest you take this post as a reminder and slather yourself with a respectable amount. Applying sunscreen only takes a few minutes; however, the effect of protection lasts a lifetime.

Not wearing sunscreen can lead to sunburn, which, over time, can lead to permanent skin spots and even cancer. So, even if you don’t follow many other beach safety guides, make sure you at least follow this one.

See and Follow the Signs

Both public beaches and private resort pools have signs posted near the water area with important beach tips and information. Instead of walking past those without giving them a second glance, we suggest you provide them with a read at least once. It hardly takes a moment to read through the posted beach safety tips and pool rules, and they can come in handy if the need arises. Remember, a water body, no matter how exciting, is still dangerous, and hence, learning the rules posted near each body is essential.

Know The Beach Flag Colors

One thing you’d notice the most at the beach is a bunch of colorful flags. Do you think those flags are there for no reason? Well, no, in fact, every beach flag has a meaning to it, and hence, you need to know the beach flag colors and what they mean. We have a list of the few main ones issued by Healthline concluded below:

1. Double Red Flag: This means that the water is closed for public swimming.
2. 2. Red Flag: indicates high hazard of surf and currents.
3. 3. Yellow Flag: indicates medium hazard or moderate surf and currents.
4. 4. Purple Flag: This flag means that the water body has dangerous marine life, such as jellyfish, stingrays, or other dangerous fish, and hence, the public should remain alert.
5. 5. Green flag: it indicates low hazard and calm conditions.
6. 6. Black and White Checkered Flags: These flags are set up along the beach in pairs to represent separate sections, which help summers and surfers stay apart in the water.

Swim Safely

When it comes to swimming, there are several aspects that you should consider. For starters, you should know how to swim. Moreover, it is essential for any person swimming to stick to more open areas rather than closed-ended ones. The open areas generally have calmer water and reduce the chances of drowning.

While taking a leap and planning to jump off a cliff straight into the water while swimming might also look exciting, we’d advise against it. This is because it can lead to many serious accidents. According to the Mayo Clinic, many divers do not see the debris beneath the water when taking the leap, which can lead to serious hazards.

Securely Store Possessions

The beach doesn’t have any secure spaces to store your possessions, and hence, losing them or having your belongings stolen always remains a threat. Hence, one of the best Sumer Beach Statey tips we can give to secure your possessions is to dig a shallow hole, keep your possessions inside, and put a towel over it. This will hide your belongings nicely, and you can have a nice time while splashing in the water as well.

Learn to Identify Rip Tide

According to Healthline, beach-goers need to learn how to identify a rip tide as well. Rip tides are the type of current where the tidal water moves rather quickly under the surface of the water. Those swimming on the beach should be aware of these currents as they can create a flow that moves away from the beach. In case you get caught in a rip tide, it is essential to start swimming parallel back to shore instead of the usual straight line.

Stay Hydrated

The last tip on our list is to stay hydrated on the beach. During the hot summer months, the temperatures are at an all-time high. So, while you may be cooling off your external body in the water, you would still need to cool off internally as well. Hence, staying hydrated and drinking beverages like regular water, coconut water, watermelon juice, etc, is essential.

Wrapping Up!

With the summer months right upon us, we are sure you’d be excited to dip your toes in the waters. However, while the beach is a great place to have fun, it also comes with its fair share of risks, and hence, knowing all safety tips is essential for beach-goers. We hope this article was sufficient enough to add to your knowledge. Our staff at Healthy Kids Care at Sunrise are here to answer any questions or concerns.

In Health,

Dr. Atousa