Summer is finally here and many of us soon head to beaches for a well-deserved vacation. I don’t want to spoil your joy, just a word of caution. Here is a quick read about 10 danger that are lurking on you on a beach vacation whether you go to a seaside resort or a lakeside cottage.
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Table of Contents
AQUATIC WILDLIFE
Portuguese man-of-war
You have heard of sharks and jellyfish. But have you ever seen a Portuguese man-of-war? If this is the first time you have ever heard about it, read on. The Portuguese man-of-war is spread worldwide not just in the tropics. It’s a symbiotic organism with blue air sack and long floaty tentacles. Beware of them and if you see them on the beach, do not touch them or step on them. You must keep your kids and pets away from them. The long and thin tentacles can sting many days after the animal is dead on the shore. Majority of people do not know anything about these creatures and may accidentally get hurt.
STRONG SEA CURRENTS
Rip currents occur near beaches where there is a sandbar and waves break. The current is the strongest close to the surface of the water. It’s usually narrow and it moves water from the shore back to the sea. If you get caught in a rip current, do not fight it. Swim with it or float and then try to swim out of it parallel to the beach and then back to the beach. If you observe the beach and waves well, you can train your eyes to recognize a rip current corridor. It usually looks like a long and narrow stream of foamy sea water flowing back to the sea way past the regular foamy waves.
To avoid this dangerous situation, do not swim far from the beach and never swim alone. Do not underestimate the power of nature and overestimate your strength and swimming abilities. Many times, sea currents are a more dangerous than sharks. You can swim very close to beach and the currents can catch you off guard unexpectedly.
This has happened to my family members. My physically fit and young relative was being pulled down by the sea current very close to the beach and his wife paddling on a water bike just a few steps away had no idea that her husband was swimming for his life. Luckily, he was strong enough and managed to get out of the horrifying situation by himself. But the sensation of impending death was deeply felt, and a lesson was learned.
SHOREBREAK
Another dangerous situation you can very easily get into is a shorebreak. It’s especially dangerous for children and people with light body frames. A shorebreak is a strong wave that rolls over suddenly and in full force when it hits shallow water. The wave breaks very close to the beach and if you get caught in it unexpectedly, it can cause sprained fingers, spinal injuries and broken bones, especially in children. I have personal experience with this type of vacation nuisance. Once I lost my glasses when a shorebreak wave hit me unexpectedly as I was walking out of water. On another occasion, a wave rolled me over and I hurt my fingers as I hit the hard sand bottom. Both times I forgot to keep an eye on approaching waves behind me as I was walking out of the water in shallow water with water well below my waist.
To avoid being hit by a shorebreak wave, always be aware of approaching waves. Either wait out the bog ones on the sandbar and then walk out of water fast before another comes or speed up and get out of water faster before it hits you hard.
BROKEN GLASS AND TRASH ON THE BEACH
This is a common-sense thing but there is never enough caution. Some people are seriously stupid and leave garbage on the beach or throw rubbish out into the sea. Some litter gets washed into the sea by strong rains and wind and some gets dumped into the sea on purpose. Beach resorts try to keep beaches clean and safe for sunbathers, but you never know what’s hidden in the sand. One way how to prevent injuries from broken glass or garbage is to wear beach shoes or only go to beaches that are super well maintaind.
FALLING COCONUTS
As much as you love staying in a shade of a lovely palm tree, please don’t do it. Do not place your beach bed or beach blanket directly underneath or very close to a coconut palm tree. Especially not on a windy day. Falling coconut can seriously hurt you. You risk a broken skull, brain damage, concussion and even death.
DIRTY WATER
My family member once had to abruptly cut short their beach side vacation in southern Turkey because the resort town had an emergency sewage breakdown, and the runoff polluted the seawater and the beach. Even though this is a rare situation, sometimes things like these happen on a smaller scale and you might not even be aware of it. If the water looks dirty, murky or smells, do not bath in it, especially if your immunity is down.
SUNBURN AND HEAT STROKE
Staying in the sun is fun and it does our skin good if you don’t overdo it. Half an hour a day in the sun in a swimming suit is all you need to make enough vitamin D. If you plan to stay in the sun longer, cover yourself with white and light clothes and a hat or stay in the shade. Don’t forget to drink water. Sunburn and heat stroke are no jokes. Can happen to anybody easily with just a short nap on a beach bed.
DROWNING
Do you know how drowning looks like? Do you think a drowning person will scream and wave their arms and call for help? Well, no! Only stupid movies show a drowning person like that. Drowning is lonely death that frequently happens in a crowded area where people don’t recognize it. Please educate yourself.
A drowning person is silent, head barely above the surface just to keep the air coming in, in a vertical position threading water below them with all the power they have left. A drowning person has no energy to scream for help nor to wave their arms. They usually don’t look like they are drowning and fighting for their life. And they only have a minute or two. Children less than that. Read this article to learn how real drowning look like.
Another dangerous situation for children is caused by their parents. They are distracted for a second or two and children can go missing on a beach. They can get lost in crowd of people or even enter water and get drowned.
A friend of mine saved a child of such a distracted mother. She was playing in a pool with her own toddler when she noticed another child floating belly down nearby. She grabbed the child and carried him out. My friend’s husband is an emergency doctor, so she called him, and he resuscitated the child. The drowning child’s mother was pregnant and sitting on the pool bed checking her cell phone. I believed she has learned a significant lesson for the rest of her life.
SPEEDBOATS AND WATER VEHICLES
Speedboats and watercrafts represent another type of danger for beach goers. If you tend to swim far from the beach and if there are people having fun of various types of watercrafts and boats, you can easily get run over them.
To avoid this type of danger, don’t swim far when there are speedboats and watercrafts used nearby. Better to lose some fun moments than be sorry later.
MANCHINEEL TREE
Manchineel tree is one of the most toxic trees in the world. It can be found in the tropics such as Caribbean. Its milky-white sap that contains numerous caustic toxins and can cause severe blistering on skin, mucous membranes and eyes. Locals know this tree and they place warning boards around the trees. The manchineel tree produces small apples and they are toxic, too. Everything from this tree is toxic, so do stay close to it.
–>> More travel tips:
HOW TO SURVIVE AIR TRAVEL WITH KIDS
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR KIDS TO BECOME HIKERS
HOW TO VISIT CASTLES AND MUSEUMS WITH CHILDREN
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