For many, the beach makes the perfect place to spend time with family, friends or when on a summer holiday. You can take it easy, take part in countless water sports, or spend some time swimming.
However, to get the best from your beach excursions, there are many bits of information that are a good idea to know before you head off. While the beach is a great place to kick back, it can be a dangerous place for those who don’t understand all the beach safety tips.
In our guide, you can learn all you need to know about beach safety. By the end, you can safely head off and make use of the best beach tent for family use you decided to purchase for shade.
How Do You Stay Safe at the Beach?
Even before you pack your bags with your swimsuit, sunscreen, beach chair, and your book, you need to have a good understanding of the best tips to make sure you and your family are safe swimming.
Here is a quick overview of swimming advisories as laid out by the health department. They work hard and offer services to ensure your safety.
- If you’re swimming at the beach, always swim between the flags
- Young children and inexperienced swimmers should always wear life jackets
- Don’t fight against currents if stuck
- Don’t dive into the sea. Waters can be dark, and you can’t see how shallow they are
- Don’t enter the water with open wounds, or you’re ill
- Never swim by yourself
- Make sure to protect your skin with a sun screen. It Should offer SPF 15 or higher
- Protect your head, face, and neck with a wide-brimmed hat
- Use polarized sunglasses for eye protection
- Keep an eye out for marine life
- Dispose of trash in the correct and respectful manner
How Can Kids Stay Safe at the Beach?
It is advisable to teach kids the dangers the beach can offer. Some of the most basic is the beach flags, which can be easy for them to remember. Here’s a quick rundown of each beach flag and what it means.
Beach Flags
- Yellow Flag: You may find potential hazards in the water.
- Red and yellow flags: Lifeguards are patrolling. Only ever swim between the red and yellow flags.
- Red flag: The beach is closed, and it is dangerous to bathe or swim, so don’t enter the water.
- Quartered black and white flag: Here are areas zoned off for surf craft or Malibu boards etc., and not safe for swimmers or bathers.
Beach Safety Signs
Another thing to teach kids is the beach safety signs. They can be different shapes and colours and can advise on the beach and conditions. The water safety signs are also easy for kids to remember.
- Warning Signs: Diamond-shaped and yellow and black signs warn of hazards at the beach like “unexpected large waves” or “swimming isn’t advised.”
- Regulatory Signs: A red circle and a diagonal line through a black image are used to inform you of prohibited activities in that area of a beach. It can include no swimming or surfing between prohibited flags.
- Information Signs: Square-shaped and blue and white. It is often used to provide information on features a beach has, like a patrolled beach, or you can use it to surf.
- Safety Signs: Square-shaped and green and white. Used to show safety provisions close by or provide safety advice like emergency telephone, first aid, or lifesaving equipment.
How Do You Spot a Rip Current?
Rips are complex and can quickly change shape, locations and happen at different times. You can spot a rip current by searching for deeper, darker water. You will also see fewer breaking waves, and the water can be sandy-coloured.
Rips are the number one Australian beach hazard, and the best way to avoid rips is to swim between the red and yellow flags at patrolled beaches.
Safety tips for catching in rip currents are to stay calm, floating on your back, and raising an arm for attention.
As you float, you could find rips flowing in a circular motion and return you to shore or at least shallower water where you can stand.
Beach safety tips also say it’s possible to escape a rip by swimming parallel to the beach and towards where waves are breaking in the ocean. The key thing is to stay calm and not struggle as you can suffer exhaustion.
What are Dangers at the Beach?
Here are some of the top beach safety tips for kids to learn when heading to the beach. It can make the difference to avoid a jellyfish sting or getting caught in a rip? Remember, these, and you can keep your family safe at the beach this summer.
- Always swim between the red and yellow flags: Swim or surf in areas with lifeguards. Red and yellow flags show a lifesaving service is on patrol.
- Read Safety Signs: You may know the signs, yet you need to read them at the beach.
- Swim with a friend: Always swim with a friend or family member to keep an eye out for each other. If you need assistance, raise your arm and wave side to side. You can also save energy by floating on your back and staying calm.
- Jellyfish Stings: If you get stung, wash the tentacles off with water. Place the affected area in hot water for 20 minutes, or use an ice pack.
- Sunburn: Apply sunscreen at least 15 minutes before heading for a day at the beach and under the sun. Reapply regularly, especially after swimming. If you get a sunburn, drink a lot of fluids to avoid dehydration. Heat exhaustion can be common with this and can lead to nausea, vomiting, and light-headedness. Move to a cooler environment and rehydrate with water.
- No Alcohol: Never swim in the sea after eating or when consuming alcohol or drugs.
- Swimming Without a Lifeguard: Always swim with a lifeguard in your location. Swimming in a location with breaking waves is a significant beach hazard.
- Lightning: It may seem rare, yet lifeguards often blow whistles at the beach because of lightning and rough weather conditions. Lightning strikes can be common beach hazards and are dangerous for swimmers.
- Pollution: Pollution can be a water safety hazard as swimming at beaches with pollution can make you ill. It happens in several ways, but they can all injure you or make you sick. Polluted runoff and untreated sewage expose swimmers to pathogens when they end up in swimming areas. Beach pollution can also come from anyone leaving trash on the beach. Injuries can also happen from sharp objects stuck in the sand.
- High Winds: Waves are created as energy passes through water. The more energy, the larger the waves. Thus, the more wind and the bigger the waves can be, keep an eye on the surf and be sure of your swimming ability. Dangerous weather conditions can create storm surges or a series of long waves created off-shore in the deeper ocean.
Guest Post: Chris Cole
W: www. naturesportcentral.com/
