The County of Los Angeles has released their Beach Safety Tips Fact Sheet for the summer of 2012. Click here to download it!
Beach Safety Tips Fact Sheet Summer 2012:
– Never swim alone
– Always swim near an open lifeguard station
– If you are at a beach where there are no lifeguards, be cautious at all times. Remember swimming in waves is not the same as in a pool or lake. If in doubt-don’t go out!
– Obey all instructions and orders from lifeguards. Lifeguards are trained to identify potential hazards. Ask a lifeguard about the conditions before entering the water. This is part of their job
– Pay especially close attention to children and elderly when at the beach. Even in shallow water, wave action can cause loss of footing
– Never dive into shallow water-Remember “feet-first every time”
– Use swim fins and a leash whenever body-boarding
– Keep at least 100-feet away from piers, jetties, and rocks because permanent rip currents often exist along side these structures. Remember to always obey warning signs
– Never throw sand and always fill in holes before you leave the beach
– Please do-not litter-leave the beach cleaner than you found it!
– Protect yourself from the sun-use sunscreen, sear a hat and sunglasses
– Respect other beach patrons and remember your beach manners
– Bicycle paths along the beach are like roads-So always look both ways before walking across If you or someone in your group gets lost, tell the nearest lifeguard
Inshore Holes
– Inshore holes are very dangerous to non-swimmers and small children because they can be swept into deep
water quickly
– Inshore holes are caused by relentless wave action on the sandy bottom off our beaches. Sand is pushed off
shore during winter months. Summer surf, pushes it back toward the beach
-Inshore holes causes uneven bottom contours that result in a dangerous condition where a beach patron can
be standing in waist-deep water one moment, and step into a deep inshore hold the next
– Inshore holes can be very deep, and the person may not be able to touch bottom
– Inshore holes are sometimes just long trenches along the beach, but at other times they are characterized by
deep color and flattened wave action
– Inshore holes often turn into channels that can also cause rip currents
Rip Currents
A rip current can pull you away from the shoreline (beach). If this happens:
– Remain calm to conserve energy and think clearly
– Never fight against the current. Think of it like a treadmill that cannot be turned off, which you need to step to the
side of
– Swim out of the current in a direction following the shoreline. When out of the current, swim at an angle–
away from the current–towards shore
– If you are unable to swim out of the rip current, float or calmly tread water. When out of the current, swim
towards shore
– If you are still unable to reach shore, draw attention to yourself by waving your arm and yelling for help
Ask The Lifeguard
– Always ask the lifeguard where it is safe to swim before going into the water
– The lifeguard is the beach safety expert and is highly-trained in spotting both inshore holes and rip
currents
