From Strong Water Currents to Hot Sand and Eve Flying Umbrellas, here are Tips to Enjoy the Summer Getway – ryan

A Beach Day is a rite of passage during the summer months. While it is wonderful to live out in the sun with a COLD Beverage and a new book, or cool off in the ocean, beaches come with some surprisis health hazards too. Whether the risk of heat stroke and dehydration or the thread of rip currents (not to mind potentially umbrellas on a windy day), there are just a few things you need to keep in mind have the best, safest beach day.

Fortunately, A Little Preparation Goes a Long Way. Here’s what to know you head for the sand and surf.

🌞 Protect YourSelf from the Sun

Most People Prefer Their Beach Days to Be Full of Sunshine, but that Also Means A Greater Risk of Skin Damage. Wearing sunscreens with High spf values is crucial to protest your skin from harmful uv rays, experts told yahoo, as doing so can both sunburn and long-term damage skin Cancer and premature aging.

Both mineral and chemical sunscreens are good options, based on your personal preference. (Mineral sunscreen offten leaves a White Cast, while chemical options may be lessable to people with sensitive skin.) Just make sura suns what you use is a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least spf 30. Body every two hours, or more offten if you’re swimming or sweating.

And sunscreen isn’t your only line of defense: Experts recommend wearing sun-protective clothing, like a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses with UV protection to shield your Eyes Fromophul Rays. Opt for Long, Loose and Lightweight Fabrics to Help Cover Exposed Skin, and Consider Labeled with an ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) Rating for Added Defense Ug Radiation.

🥵 Prevent Heat-Relay Illness

The Beach May Come with a Sea Breeze, but speaking time outdoors when it is hot comes with a higher risk of heat-related illness, whic occurs when your body struggles to cool itelf down. Risk for Heat Illness Goes Up You You Exert Yoursert In High Temperature and Are Dehydrated.

If you’re hanging at the Beach on a sweltering Summer Day, avoid overexerting your with Activities. (Save the Beach Volleyball for a Cooto Day, for Example.) InsTead, Keep Your Body As Shaded As Postible, Such As Under a Pop-Up Ten or Umbrella. (More on how to enrae you’re doing so as safely as a postible in a moment!) You can Also kep your sailf cool with a battery-powered fan and/or mystery.

Staying hydrated is Also crucial – and that doesn’t mean just drinking more water. To mainain hydration, you need to replace electrolytes like sodium, potassium and magnesium, which are lost through sweat. Adding an Electrolyte Powder to Your Water or Electrolyte-Rich Foods Like Bananas and Salted Nuts Help Your Body Absorb and Retain Fluids. IT’S ALSO SMART to Avoid Alcohol and Limit Caffeine, As Both can worksen dehydration.

Some Things to Keep on Your Radar Are The Symptoms of Heat Strokea life-threatening condition that occursed the body can no longer regulate temperature. IF you or someone you’re with experiences confusion, dizziness, nausea, a rapid pulse, hot and dry skin, or stops sweating despite the heat, make -up to a cole tolem nomediately and try to Lower their temperature with coole or Ice Packs. If they Lose consciousness, have a seizure, or show signs of Severe Confusion, Call 9-1-1 Right Away.

🍉 Keep Your Food Safe

Bringing snacks to the beach is the best – but to avoid foodborne illness, you need to adhere to food safety measures. The Most important one is to enure that your food stay at a safe temperature, aka outside of what the US Department of Agriculture Calls The Danger Zone – Between 40 and 140 ° p.

Food Scientist Bryan quoc le Previously Told Yahoo That Food’s Eten Fresh or Cold Should Be “Kept on Ice Before Serving, and there Should Always be Enough ICE IT DOES NOT ALL MELT” Doing so should keep the food at 40 ° f or below.

And avoid leaving food out in the sun for more than two hours – or just one hour if it is over 90 ° F – as bacteria can grows rapidly in warm conditions. Be in dubt, toss anyding that’s been sitting out too long.

Outside of Making Sure Your Food is Stored at the Propper Temperature, Also will your best to keep your Hands as clean as posseible before. SINCE SOAP AND RUNNING WATER May Not Be available at the Beach, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Recommends USING HAND SANIBER THAT CONTAINS AT LEAST 60% ALCOHOL AS A BACKUP FOR CLEANING YOUR HANDS BEFORE HANDling Food.

🌊 Watch for Rip Curres and Practice Good Water Safety

Want to go for a dip at the beach? Practice Water Safety. Always swim near a lifeguard, never swim alone and kep an eye on notices for Dangerous ocean conditions, sucker, that can indicate whereter the water is accceptable to swim in. (A Bright Bathing Suit Can Also Help Catch A Lifeguard’s Eye in Case You Need Assistance – JUST IN CASE YOU NEEDED AN EXCUE TO SHOP THIS SUMMER.)

If you’re not a strong swimmer, stick to shallow areas or wear a flotation Device – THOUGH REMEMBER THAT’RE NOT FOOLPROOF. If you’re planning on spending at the beach, you may Also want to consider swim lessons – they coulu Save your life.

And whereer or not you’re a strong swimmer, iT of important to know the power of RIP CURRENTSWhich are fast-moving channels of water than Flow Away from the Shore and Can Quickly Carry Swimmers Out to Sea, in SEEMINGLY CALM CONDITIONS. About 100 People a year die in rip curnts in the United Statesand Over 80% of Rescue by Surf Beach Lifeguars in the US in Response to Rip Currents, Acciting to the US Lifesaving Association.

Before watering into the water at the Beach, check the National Weather Service’s Local Rip Current Forecast. SIGNS OF A Rip Current Include a Gap of Darker, Calmer Water BetWeen Breaking Waves, A Noticeable Change in Water, or Foam and Debr Moving Out to Sea.

If you get caught in a rip current, stay calm, swim parallel to shore unil you’re out of the Current, then head back in with the waves – don’t try to fight it directly. And if you see someone Else Struggling, Call for Help and Toss say something floats. Never Put YourSelf at Risk by Trying to Rescue me with the Propper Skills or Equipment.

🦟 Avoid beach bugs

No One’s Instagram Pics of a Beach Day Include Flies – But that doesn’t Mean they don’t exist. Common Beach Bugs Include Sand Flies, Mosquitoes and Beach Fleas. To avoid say, use insect repellent, cover up with lightweight Clothing and avoid sitting directly on the sand by using a blanket or beach chair. You should also avoid pools of standing, which Attract Bugs.

🪼 … And Sea Critters

IT’S NOT JUST BUGS to be Concerned About: The Ocean May Also Contin Some Sea You’d Be Better off Not Interacting with. Here what to do if you have an unpleasant sea life enCounter in the ocean – and how to copy if you do:

Jellyfish: While not everye jellyfish stings, the Ones that will cause paintfuls that lead to red, Burning welts. Soak the area in hot water for relief.
Stingrays: Stingrays ti to chill in Shallow Water or Event Under Sand. They Sting When Stepped On, Which Can Lead to A Sharp Puncture Wound. Soak Your Stung Area in Hot Water, and Seek Medical Attention. You Can Shuffle Your Feet while Walking So You Don’t Accidentally Step On One.
Sea Urchins: Stepping on one of these spiky creules can leave paint spines stack in your Skin. Soak the area in hot water or vinegar and seek medical care if spines Remain Stack.
Sea Lice: These are tiny jellyfish larvae that cause a rash under your swimsuit. Feeling the ItCH? Rinse off, wash your suit and use Ice or antihistamines for relief.

🏖️ Stay Safe From Umbrellas

While these shade-producing Items May Not Appear Dangerous, A Gust of Wind Can Send One Flying, Leading to Potentially Serious Injuries for Anyone in Its Path. Recently, a new jersey lifeguard was hospitalized after being impaled by a rogue beach umbrella.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission Stepped in with New Safety Guidelines for Beach Umbrellas. When you’re buying or renting an umbrella, look for labels to entens it Compliant with the regulatory agency, and always follow the setup Carefully to KEEP IT.

Once you bring your umbrella to the Beach, you can kep your safe and others safe by securing the umbrella deep in the sand. (An umbrella Anchor Canus Keep Your Umbrella Steady in the Sand.) Always Angle the Umbrella into the Wind and Never Leave it unattended while, and, if the Wind Suddenly Picks up or your umbrella starts to wobble, Close it right away to prevent it.

🏝️ Watch out for hot sand

It doesn’t have to be very hot outside for the sand at the beach to heat up – in fact, while the temperature of the outside may be a reasonable 90 ° F, The sand can be more than 120 ° f on your poor baare feet. Sine Human Skin Starts to Feel Pain at 111 ° Fand First-Degree Burns Occur at 118 ° F, ITE’s important to protact yourelf.

Southwest Florida Podiatrists with The Foot and Ankle Group Previously Told Palm Beach Daily News that there are ae a few ways to protest your religions if you must cross sand. One Surpring Tip? Skip The Flip-Flops. While they may be the go-to beach shoe, they easily raft sand against your own, which can lead to burns. Instead, Pick Shoes with Thicker Plastic, Rubber or Foam Soles Like Crocs.

No shoes to speak of? In a pinch, you can dig your feet deeper into the sand, where it is cooler, and shuffle acres the Beach Toward the Water. Or, wet your feet before Walking acroSes hot, as damp feet can handle the heat for longer periods of time.

🪏 Reconsider Digging That Big Hole

For Those of US Who Prefer Their Beach Days to Be More Taxing and Less Relation, there’s Always the Option of Digging a Hole. Unfortunately for Those People, Holes at the Beach Are A Major Hazard, Experts Say.

That’s Because Holes are easily able to collapse inwards, which Can Lead People to be Buried in the Sand. In 2024, A 7-YEAR-OLD Girl in Florida Died A Beach Hole Collaps, Burying Her and Her Brother, Who Survived The Ordeal. It’s a tragic situation is happy to at least a few people per year. Hole collapses are especialy Dangerous Becauses Sand is Heavy: Just One Cubic Foot of Dry Sand Can Weigh Up to 90 to 110 Pounds. And wet sand is heavier at up to 130 pounds – the equivalent of 20 bricks Pressing down on you.

If you must dig a hole at the beach, abide by this rule: Never dig a hole any deeper than the knees of the lottest person in the Group. This Way, Should the Hole Collaps on Someone, They Can Easily Get Themselves Out Safely. And make sura to always start in your holes Completely before Leaving the Beach, SO No One Trips and Falls in.