10 Must Know Beach Safety Tips for Your Next Vacation

Hello and welcome to The Aloha Blog! If you’ve come across my blog before, you know that I post a lot of travel guides, and many of those guides include my favorite beach spots. However, today’s post is dedicated to beach safety tips. I have been an ocean rescue lifeguard for the past seven years, and I know just how unpredictable and dangerous the ocean can be. I felt very called to write this blog post because I’ve seen firsthand how not knowing how to stay safe at the beach can quickly turn a vacation into a nightmare. Without further ado, here are 10 must know beach safety tips for your next vacation!

1. Always Swim Near a Lifeguard

Thanks to Google, you can easily research which beaches near you are equipped with lifeguards. Lifeguards are trained to recognize hazardous conditions, advise swimmers how to stay safe, respond to emergencies, and provide medical care for those in need. Swimming at a beach with lifeguards significantly decreases your risk of fatally drowning.

2. Learn How to Swim

Being a lifeguard has taught me that people who don’t know how to swim will still go into the ocean. Learning to swim teaches survival skills, water safety, and water confidence. It is also your best insurance against drowning. In fact, participation in formal swim lessons can reduce the likelihood of childhood drowning death by 88%. 

3. Learn Rip Current Safety

Did you know that more than 80% of rescues at ocean beaches are caused by rip currents? This is why it is so important to learn rip current safety. The United States Lifesaving Association has some great online resources to learn about rip currents, click here to read.

4. Check the Conditions

Make sure you are checking the weather and ocean conditions before you go to the beach. When you get to the beach, continue to check, as they are constantly changing. If you can’t tell where the safest place to swim is, ask the lifeguard on duty!

5. Never Go in the Water Solo

Drowning is the fifth leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Many fatal drownings involve swimmers out in the water alone. Always swim with a buddy so that if one swimmer experiences a problem, the other can assist and signal for help.

6. Beat the Heat

Exposure to the heat and sun can have immediate and long-term effects. To protect yourself, stay hydrated, avoid alcohol, and use sun protection. Even on cloudy days, the sun is still out to get you, so make sure you are following these rules!

7. Keep Your Kids Close

I always recommend adults to be no more than an arms length away from children their supervising- on the sand and especially in the surf. This is especially important on vacation!

8. Use Coast Guard-Approved Life Jackets

Life jackets save lives. If you plan on doing recreational ocean activities during your vacation, I highly recommend wearing a life jacket.

9. Observe Signs and Flags

Look for signs and flags upon arriving at the beach. These are very important tools that let you know about current conditions and safe places to swim. Flag colors are not universal, so if you have questions, make sure you ask the lifeguard on duty.

10. Avoid Alcohol

I get it, you’re on vacation and want to cut loose. However, the beach is not the place. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among adolescents and adults, alcohol use is involved in up to 70% of deaths associated with water recreation. Alcohol influences coordination and judgment, and its effects are heightened by sun exposure and heat.

I truly hope you gained some valuable information through this blog post! For more information about beach and ocean safety, you can check out USLA’s website or Beach and Ocean Safety Tips from Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue!

Thank you so much for reading! In case you missed my last blog post, you click here to read it.