explore / nature / With record numbers of people hitting the beaches this year we should think of how to be a little more “beach safe”. Beach safety can safe your life, your family or a strangers life if you are prepared. Now I love the beach, don’t get me wrong. I find the beach very comforting and soothing. I try not to see it as some sort of death trap that the news makes it out to be. BUT…and this is a very important, there many accidents at beaches every single year and we should know the dangers and how to help ourselves and others. Here are a few hazards and a few ways to assist you out of them. Plus, learn about the flags that lifeguards use as signs to warn us about the water hazards for that day. Rip currents or “rip tides” are the most reported hazard in the beach waters – somewhere around 80 of the beach rescues are due to rip currents. Rip currents take several people daily down a treacherous watery path. Rip currents are a narrow current that moves at a strong and powerful pace away from the beach. There are signs to look for to spot a rip current, but mostly only the seasoned beach-goers or lifeguard would spot them. To locate one, usually a line of water current is running perpendicular to the shoreline in a fast pace with either bubbles or muddy water accompanying it. The best way to handle being caught up in a rip current is to remain calm, breathe steadily and then do one of these two things. Either, try to float to the surface, tread water and ride it out to the breaker line OR swim slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip current. Do try to signal a lifeguard or someone on shore that you need help as soon as you can. Never, never ever try to swim directly back to the beach when caught in a rip current! This will have you swimming against the much higher current and then you will panic and lose control and drowning can and most likely will occur. Now many of us have seen Jaws and know that sharks can bite, maim or kill us in the water. Typically, the shark attacks we get in Florida tend to be in shallow water 16 Explore Palm Beach | Welcome to our world™ where the sharks have come up to feed and have gotten trapped in the shallower waters. Some of these injuries are referred to as “hit and run” attacks. Basically the shark is feeding and either sees splashing, shiny jewelry, colored bathing suits, the soles of the feet or gets stepped on and they think it’s one of its normal prey to feed on. They bite and release leaving a gash or single bite mark. Other shark attacks occur in a “bump and bite” attack that involves either divers or deepwater swimmers. A shark will circle you, and then bump you and then bite. These attacks can be very dangerous and sometimes fatal. Get first aid immediately after any shark bite in either scenario as they can quite painful and may require many stitches. Beach Safety Is Important For All Of US
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