Beach Safety Tips from the Pros
Like the sand and ocean, they shift. Also like the sand and the ocean, they are a vital, permanent part of the Seven Mile Beach experience.
“They” are the never-ending compilation of safety tips, vigorously re-emphasized as the summer season hits stride.
Safety is the most vigilant aspect preached by beach patrol chiefs and captains up and down the Jersey Shore.
Mindful that there are about 325 million beach visitors each year in the United States and fewer than 100 drowning deaths among them, they maintain the philosophy that even one fatality is one too many.
We caught up with Avalon Beach Patrol Chief Matt Wolf and Stone Harbor Beach Patrol Captain Sandy Bosacco for their input on recent developments.
Both acknowledge that while there can never be enough safety tips published, some become more relevant at particular times.
Surfing safety
“There are a lot of surf camps in town,” Avalon’s Wolf notes, “and it is exciting to see more and more people taking advantage and being out in the water.
“Something we are paying a lot more attention to is people coming down to the shore, taking a surf lesson, getting their kids a surf lesson and then going out to buy these foam surfboards.”
Novice surfers are being sent out into situations in which they are not trained to be in.
“If they don’t have the skills, they can be knocked off the surfboards and if they are in over their heads, they may panic.”
More surfing safety tips from Wolf:
Operate in front of a lifeguard stand.
Don’t paddle where you are not confident. Work up to different levels.
Don’t try to go out and get the biggest break or the biggest wave.
Keep a proper distance from swimmers. A novice surfer might lose their board and hit a nearby swimmer.
Have a leash for a surfboard. It prevents the surfboard from being swept away by waves and prevents runaway surfboards from hitting other swimmers and surfers.
Get a refresher before you go out. Ask a lifeguard about some of these dos and don’ts.
Sun safety
Three weeks into June, beachgoers face the longest days of sunlight for the entire year.
“They may not be the absolute warmest days of the year, but it is the strongest sun of the year,” Stone Harbor’s Bosacco says. “People have not been in the sun and if they start at this time, they don’t have a tan strong enough to withstand that.”
Bosacco advises people to wear hats, utilize umbrellas, and take special precautions with their children.
He also notes the strong nor’easter in May left its mark. It has made the surf more hazardous and brought rip currents, sandbars and deep gulleys into play.
This dramatic effect may take some people by surprise, especially visitors who have not been here to see the effects.
10 more safety tips
These are timeless tips advocated by the beach patrols:
Be flexible. More beaches become protected starting in mid-to-late June. Given that the odds of drowning decreases to one in about 18 million when swimming in front of a protected stand, give yourself these odds. Move to an area where there is a guard.
Don’t swim alone. A buddy is not only your immediate eyes and ears, but a lifeline to alert lifeguards if there is a problem.
Check in with the guards before swimming. Think of it as an agenda to start a meeting. Highly skilled trained professionals know where it is safe to swim and what conditions have changed regarding erosion, a storm, etc.
Rip-current safety is paramount. The United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) has determined that about 80% of lifeguard rescues are prompted by rip currents. The situation is created by surf and gravity, because once surf pushes water up the slope of the beach, gravity pulls it back. This can create concentrated rivers of water moving offshore. Some people mistakenly call this an undertow, but there is no undercurrent, just an offshore current. The USLA advice: If you are caught in a rip current, don’t fight it by trying to swim directly to shore. Instead, swim parallel to shore until you feel the current relax, then swim to shore. Most rip currents are narrow, and a short swim parallel to shore will bring the swimmer to safety. Swimmers not familiar with currents may end up blocks from where they started.
Swim sober. Not only does alcohol impair depth perception, it encourages people to take chances they otherwise would not.
Don’t swim after the lifeguards are done for the day.
Show courtesy for others. Beach games are fun, but an errant toss with any type of hard ball can strike someone else in the face. Make sure there is plenty of distance between yourself and any other person when throwing a ball. This extends to something less threatening, like kicking sand in someone’s face when running or diving after a ball.
Pick a landmark to mark your location. Once the beach fills in with people, it can become hard to locate someone. Having a landmark will eliminate major headaches.
Umbrella insurance. This doesn’t come from a broker. It comes by investing in a good umbrella for the beach. The sun is stronger than one thinks and people can easily get burned or suffer from heat exhaustion. Under an umbrella is a great place to have lunch, take a nap, or enjoy the beach experience while taking a break from the sun. However, make sure you insert the umbrella into the sand correctly and securely. Umbrellas rolling down a windy beach can be incredibly dangerous.
Don’t feed the birds. They may decide your finger is food. They can also startle nearby people who could be sleeping, reading or standing up to get ready to walk into the water or take a beach stroll. The downside of feeding the birds is numerous. The upsize? Zero.
Guidelines outlined here and throughout Avalon and Stone Harbor augment what many people already know. But the safety “book” compiled by beach patrol chiefs and captains is never too long. They always like to add more chapters.
