Keeping Your Kids Safe at the Beach

June 24, 2010

The dog days of summer are upon us and many of us are taking our families to the beach for a much needed respite from work, school and the frantic pace of day camps. Although you look forward to many days of fun in the sun with your children, prevention of injury and safety should always be in the forefront of your mind. InstantAmber recommends reviewing the following safety tips before you leave home:

Choose a beach that has a lifeguard on duty. The chance of drowning if a lifeguard is present is only 1 in 18 million! Deserted or private beaches are nice in concept, but if you are with your children, it makes sense to go to a safe beach where lifeguards are present.

Supervise your children at all times. No matter what age you child is, they need supervision by their parent. Even older children can exercise poor judgment at times, so be there to protect them from injury and from people who intend them harm. Lifeguards ensure safety of the beaches; you ensure the safety of your own child.

Don’t swim with the “dumpers.” A dumper is a deceptively strong plunging wave that can drive your child’s body into a shallow sand bar and cause serious injury. They might look like fun, but they should be avoided.

Don’t swim during a riptide. Eighty percent of lifeguard rescues are due to riptides. A riptide occurs when water moves over the sand bars toward the beach then is pulled by gravity back to the sea along the channels between the sand bars. If there is a riptide, lifeguards will post a flag that is red on the top and yellow on the bottom. Don’t let your child get in the water when this flag is flying! Instruct your child before they go into the water that if they should get caught in a riptide, do not panic and do not try to swim toward the shore. A riptide moves at 8 knots - faster than an Olympic swimmer can swim, so your child will not be able to swim through it. Instead, he should go with the riptide and it will slowly take him across the beach. He should raise his hand to signal the lifeguard that he is in trouble.

Find out from the lifeguard if there are any shark sightings before you enter the water. Although you are more likely to get in a car accident on your way to the beach than to even see a shark, it doesn’t hurt to make sure they are not present when your kids are swimming. Sharks don’t intentionally attack people. Attacks happen when a shark mistakes a human for a seal or fish. If sharks are present, the lifeguard will usually sound an alarm. Instruct your child that if they hear a siren to come ashore immediately. Don’t let your child wear shiny jewelry in the water as it may attract sharks, and they should avoid the water if they have a bloody injury. Click here for more tips on avoiding shark attacks.

Avoid the jellyfish! Check with the lifeguard before your child enters the water to see if there are jellyfish present. Instruct your child not to touch or attempt to pick up a jellyfish. Their sting is painful, but not life threatening.

Be attentive to water quality. Poor water quality can lead to gastrointestinal illness, ear infection, and on rare occasions, more serious sickness. Federal law requires communities to test water, but it is difficult to determine when the testing will occur. A good practice is to avoid beach swimming after a heavy rainfall when water is likely to contain higher levels of contaminants and runoff.

Recent concerns about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill have compelled beach communities across the south east to post updates on the water safety of their beaches. The city of Destin, Florida, for example, has an oil spill page containing information and useful links. The Center for Disease Control and the Environmental Protection Agency are communicating and collecting water samples from the affected areas to determine public health risks. Click here for detailed information on water testing from the EPA.

Apply sunscreen liberally and often. The dangers of overexposure to the sun are well documented. Kids need protection from both UVA and UVB rays, so purchase a sunscreen containing titanium dioxide and zinc oxide with an SPF of 15 or higher. They should wear hats and sunglasses with an SPF in the lenses when they are not in the water, especially during ten o’clock and three o’clock, the part of the day when the strongest rays are present.

Don’t become a theft victim. Watch your possessions! Theft from vehicles is common, so bring only the necessary items of value with you to the beach and be careful with them once you get there. Thieves target tourists who leave valuables in their car or laying on their beach towels, so only leave items you won’t miss if they are taken. Lock everything else in your trunk and park your car in a lighted central area.