Safety Tidbit 7.13 - Beach Safety

Safety Tidbit 7.13 – Beach Safety

Reference: Person. (2020, August 18). Beach safety tips: In and out of the water. Healthline. Retrieved May 4, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health/beach-safety#covid-19

My student wrote this Safety Tidbit, Ms. Abbey Graham – a Junior in the Safety, Health, and Environmental Applied Sciences Program at the Indiana University of PA, graduating in Spring 2023.

 

As Summer quickly approaches, many people begin to plan trips to their favorite place, the beach. You and your families plan to pack up the most oversized vehicle you have with the kids for a getaway during this time of year. Your last thought at the beach is your safety when having so much fun, but a beach is a dangerous place.

 

Every beach posts beach rules with signs and flags meant for your safety. There may be lifeguards and beach patrol on duty, although each beach is different and may only have posted rules to follow. You must follow the lifeguards or other beach patrol officers' guidance and instructions for your safety in the sand or the water. You can speak to any person on duty about your safety and concerns. You can also find beach rules posted near the entrances of the beach or the lifeguard stands and towers. Listed below are some rules that you may see posted:

·      Look for flags set up on the beach.

·      Know where lifeguard stations are.

·      Look for signs and posts near the entrance or lifeguard tower

·      Talk with lifeguards for tips and information about the beach and water conditions.

 

For ease, lifeguards use beach flags to communicate beach conditions. The color of the flag color indicates the water condition. Below are listed some flag colors and their general meaning:

·      Double red flag: water closed, no public swimming

·      Red flag: high hazard or surf and/or currents

·      Yellow flag: medium hazard or moderate surf and/or currents

·      Purple flag: dangerous marine life such as jellyfish, stingrays, or dangerous fish

·      Green flag: low hazard, calm conditions

·      Black and white checkered flag: set up along the beach, usually as a pair, to indicate separate sections to help keep swimmers and surfers safely apart in the water.

 

The most crucial factor before you swim in the ocean or any other body of water is the ability to swim. You can take swimming lessons at any local Red Cross chapter or YMCA. Swimming in the ocean is hazardous, and there are many things you should be looking out for. Swimming in a large body of water is often very different from your local pool or lake. Listed below are some things you need to be cautious of when swimming in the ocean:

·      Tides and undercurrents

·      Unexpected changes to beach conditions

·      Water depths at drop-offs

·      Rocks, debris, and other hazards

·      Local marine life that can sting or bite

·      Boats, ships, and other watercraft that may be in the water at the same time

·      Bad weather in the area, such as lighting or thunderstorms

·      Tsunami warnings

 

Common beach injuries are minor cuts and scrapes, jellyfish stings, and sunburn.

The last significant thing you need to know how to identify in the ocean is a riptide. Riptides are when the tidal water moves quickly under the water's surface. They are powerful and fast-moving, creating a current that flows away from the beach. If you get caught in a rip current, swimming parallel back to the shore instead of in a straight line is essential. You can spot one if the waves aren't breaking, you see foam on the beach, or seaweed or discolored water pulled from the shore.

 

Water conditions can quickly change, so you need to analyze the condition before entering. A couple of things you want to follow is to keep an eye on kids and friends because drowning can happen quickly, and the currents naturally move you up and down the shore, so you always want to be able to identify the people of your party. If there is an emergency and it happens to be you, you want to make yourself visible and loud. If you are caught in the water and having trouble making it back to shore, wave your arms above the water and call for help. If you see someone pulled under or away from shore, call for a lifeguard or call 9-1-1. Entering the water yourself may be dangerous, so throw out a flotation device to the person or rope that can help pull them back to shore.

 

I hope this was helpful, and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

 

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.