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Safer Beaches
Planning, Design, and Operation
152 Pages, 8.5
Reference for aquatic directors, managers, and supervisors responsible for beaches at all levels of parks, camps, and clubs. Also for lawyers, land planners, and students studying land planning, recreation or sport management, or hospitality management.
Chapter 1. Beach Types and Hazards
Surf Beaches
Confined Flat-Water Beaches
River Beaches
Land-Based Beach Hazards
Summary
Chapter 2. Beach and Waterfront Funding
Beach Funding Priorities
Core Funding Sources
Summary
Chapter 3. Accessibility
Going Beyond the Americans with Disabilities Act
Policy Issues
Reasonable Accommodation
Attitudes
Guidelines From the Recreation Access Board
Summary
Chapter 4. Liability and Risk Management
Negligence
Negligence Per Se
Degrees of Negligence
Defending Negligence Claims
Contributory and Comparative Negligence
Governmental Immunity
Good Samaritan Statutes
Premises Liability
Recreational Use Statutes
Risk Management
Managing Aquatic Facilities
Reducing Risk at Open-Water Races
Summary
Chapter 5. Effective Signage: Educating and Warning the Public
Standards for Water Safety Signs
Establishing Shoreline Zones
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Channeling the Public to Beach Access Points
Using Access Points to Warn and Educate
Prioritizing the Safety Message
Posting and Distributing Healthy Swimming Information
Summary
Chapter 6. Nonswimming Beach Safety
Reasons for Keeping People Out of the Water
Methods to Keep People Out of the Water
Overall Considerations
Summary
Chapter 7. Swimming Beach Safety
Environmental Considerations
Designated Swimming Areas
Designated Wading (Nonswimming) Areas
Support Features and Facilities
Summary
Chapter 8. Above-Water Structure Safety
Types of Above-Water Structures
Potential Above-Water Structure Hazards
Safety Strategies for Above-Water Structures
Summary
Chapter 9. Operational Considerations and Safety Strategies
Policy Decisions Affecting Safety and Beach Operations
Universal Proactive Strategies
Proactive Strategies at Guarded Beaches
Proactive Strategies at Unguarded Beaches
Summary
Chapter 10. Water Quality and Beach Maintenance
Recreational Water Illnesses (RWIs)
Urban and Agricultural Sources of Pollution
Other Waterborne Concerns
Controlling Aquatic Plants and Animal Pests at Beaches
Beach Maintenance
Beach Sand Grooming
Protecting Marine Wildlife
Summary
Chapter 11. Safety Practices at Guarded Beaches
Lifeguard Requirements and Competency
Psychology of Lifeguarding
Strategies for Improving Vigilance and Emergency Response
Summary
Chapter 12. United States Lifesaving Association and International Life Saving Federation
History of the United States Lifesaving Association
Impact of the USLA on American Lifesaving
International Life Saving Federation
Summary
Tom Griffiths, EdD, has over 40 years of experience in aquatic safety and is now a leader in the field. He is the president and founder of the Aquatic Safety Research Group and served as the director of aquatics and safety officer for athletics at Penn State University for nearly 25 years.
In 2000, Griffiths developed the Five Minute Scanning Strategy video that assists lifeguards in being more vigilant. The strategy is now required by all Pool Management Group, Star Guard, and Ellis & Associates Lifeguards. Griffiths has been published in over 300 scientific, professional, and popular journals. He has served as the president of the National Recreation and Park Association’s National Aquatics Council. In 2008 he was inducted into the Pennsylvania Swimming Hall of Fame.
Beach Types and Hazards
Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches.
Approved Wading Access (Color Code: Green and White)
Wading is defined as walking in the water to a depth no greater than waist deep. Waders should be instructed to have one foot on the bottom at all times and to not submerge beneath the surface. If water quality monitoring programs are not in place, it is advisable to post a sign indicating the lack of a water quality program: “Caution: Bacteria levels not monitored. For your safety, keep your head above water at all times.” United States Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices (lifejackets) should be worn by nonswimmers in these areas. Parents must be urged to actively supervise their young waders from the water, not the beach.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches. Although many experts agree with the beach flag concept, changing the colored flags in a timely fashion can be troublesome, particularly in areas where weather and water conditions are so unpredictable. Another potential problem with beach flags is that lifeguards often are required to take the flags down when they leave for the day. Many drowning deaths occur after hours when both lifeguards and flags are absent. Perhaps a special flag or sign is needed to discourage swimmers from entering the water after hours, particularly when water conditions are dangerous.
Flags to Identify Water Quality
One option is to use an appropriately striped flagpole from which could fly a colored water quality flag. Such flag systems have been met with much success at both freshwater and marine beaches worldwide. Red flags are often used to indicate no swimming because of high bacteria levels. Blue flags generally indicate acceptable bacteria levels as of the date of the last test. Blue flags (and Blue Flag awards) are used in Europe and South Africa to indicate clean water that has passed bacteria standards (see www.blueflag.org
/Criteria/EuropeanBeaches). In some states, such as Kansas, blue flags are used to indicate clean water, while green flags indicate water is safe for recreation activities, but persons should shower if they've had full contact with the water, should avoid swallowing the water, and should wash their hands before eating or drinking. However, these are advisable regardless of bacteria levels and should be part of a general education campaign regarding water quality issues.
Flags to Identify Surf Conditions
The water quality flag system should not be confused with a beach warning flag system often used at marine beaches to indicate surf conditions. Most beach flag advocates recommend the traffic light color scheme (red, yellow, and green).
Double red: water closed to public
Red: high hazard
Yellow: medium hazard
Green: low hazard
Purple: marine pest present
Channeling the Public to Beach Access Points
Aggressive safety signage is a vitally important service for all beach visitors, but even the best signs will be ineffective if they are not read because the public is not drawn to them. With appropriate landscaping, fences, and barriers, the public—particularly families with young children—can be better warned and educated as they are channeled to approved shoreline points that have been inspected for safety. Approved access points are recommended instead of attempting to place signage in a repeated manner across an entire beachfront. Providing easy access for persons with disabilities during this channeling process is of paramount importance.
Once shoreline zones and access points are identified, one option is to put in place a numbering system for each access area. The numbers should be consecutive and continue along the perimeter of the shoreline to the last numbered access point. For an inland body of water, the system of numbering should rotate clockwise around the waterfront. No distinction in the number system should be made between the shoreline zones and types of access points (wading, fishing, boating, closed access, and so on). This numbering system allows for a coordinated and timely response from the local emergency services (police, fire, EMS) because all zones are numbered for identification and follow a numerical pattern around the shoreline rather than randomly assigned numbers for each area. A tall telephone-type pole or PVC pole striped with the zone color should be placed in a central location, prominently displaying the access point number on an appropriately colored sign (blue, green, brown, or orange). These beach poles can also be used as family meeting places should children become separated from their parents. Emergency pull boxes or call boxes and basic water rescue equipment could also be placed on or near these poles.
Functional and friendly access to the beach can be accomplished through a variety of ways including fences, landscaping that cannot be breached, berms, and other physical barriers. Whether driving, biking, or walking to the beach, guests should eventually be guided through a few central pedestrian paths, walkovers, or entrances so that each and every guest can be effectively and efficiently educated about safe and enjoyable ways to use the beach.
An information kiosk that is weatherproof and vandal proof should also be placed at most entrances. These kiosks can help convey advisories and public education materials. Likewise, boaters should be warned and educated as they are channeled or funneled to their launches.
Using Access Points to Warn and Educate
If you strategically position aggressive warning signs that are designed properly and not camouflaged in long lists of rules and regulations, it would be difficult for guests to claim ignorance. People who have been injured at the beach often claim they were unaware the hazard existed or that they did not see the warning signs.
Hazard signs and other warnings particular to certain beaches are of paramount importance and should be placed at each entrance. Danger and warning signs at beach entry points should be emphasized over other rules and regulations (e.g., directions and behaviors that are not life threatening), should be larger and more conspicuous than other signage, and should use appropriate warning shapes and colors. Borrowing from the highway signs is an excellent idea in this regard.
Universal Warnings
Of all the rules, regulations, and information needing to be signed at beaches, there are five very important warnings that apply universally to just about all beaches:
1. Parents, please supervise your children closely and constantly.
2. No diving or other headfirst entries.
3. No breath holding or prolonged underwater swimming.
4. Nonswimmers should always wear a lifejacket.
5. Warning: Hidden hazards. (Include beach-specific hazards here: rip currents, dangerous marine life, and so on.)
At most swimming beaches, all other information falls far below the significance and timeliness of these four major safety concerns. These warnings are also important for reminding individuals and families of their responsibility to behave in a way that reduces the likelihood of an injury or drowning. Beaches can simply, inexpensively, and effectively post these five warnings conspicuously in parking lots, at the beach entrances, and on the back of lifeguard stations.
Warn to Supervise Children
Unfortunately, parents do not realize how quickly a drowning can occur. It takes only seconds for a child to drown, some estimates stating that drowning can occur in as little as 90 seconds.
Adults are often lax in supervision, thinking their supervision is adequate if they are in the general area and occasionally checking where their children are. If parents are not in the water with children who are weak swimmers or nonswimmers, and they are not within arm's reach, they are not actively supervising their
children.
Distressed nonswimmers can slip beneath the surface of the water in as little as 20 seconds and without warning. Once a child slips below the surface of the water, drowning occurs silently. Although many parents supervise their children passively at home, when it comes to safety in, on, or around the water, children must be supervised both actively and aggressively. Messages such as “If you're more than an arm's length away, you've gone too far”; “Two seconds is too long”; and “It only takes seconds for a child to drown” are important safety messages that have been used throughout North America. All waterfronts should adopt a safety campaign to educate the public that children of tender years must be closely guarded around the water.
Warn Against Headfirst Entries
Approximately 800 to 900 catastrophic neck injuries resulting in permanent paralysis (quadriplegia or paraplegia) or death are caused by ill-advised headfirst entries into shallow water. Of these injuries, most result in death. Most serious neck injuries occur in open water rather than in swimming pools or from diving boards. Approximately two-thirds of all catastrophic neck injuries occur in open-water environments (Griffiths 2003). Running down a beach and then diving headfirst into shallow water is a classic recipe for a catastrophic neck injury. Particularly when both turbid and shallow water exist, catastrophic neck injuries are a very real hazard. Additionally, many people believe the longer a dock extends into the water, the deeper the water is, and as a result, diving is safe from the end of most docks. Of course, this is not necessarily true, and someone's poor judgment in this regard can result in serious injury or death.
Aggressive warnings prohibiting headfirst entries from beaches, docks, piers, and other structures into open water are clearly necessary. “No diving” signs with a “no diving” international graphic logo should be posted strategically. “No diving” should also be posted directly onto the horizontal planks and vertical posts of all docks, piers, and jetties. Because most diving injuries involve alcohol consumption, a serious yet creative sign campaign could state “Drinking and diving do not mix.”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Psychology of Lifeguarding
Lifeguard training agencies give lifeguards the knowledge and water skills they need in order to do their jobs effectively.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Beach Types and Hazards
Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches.
Approved Wading Access (Color Code: Green and White)
Wading is defined as walking in the water to a depth no greater than waist deep. Waders should be instructed to have one foot on the bottom at all times and to not submerge beneath the surface. If water quality monitoring programs are not in place, it is advisable to post a sign indicating the lack of a water quality program: “Caution: Bacteria levels not monitored. For your safety, keep your head above water at all times.” United States Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices (lifejackets) should be worn by nonswimmers in these areas. Parents must be urged to actively supervise their young waders from the water, not the beach.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches. Although many experts agree with the beach flag concept, changing the colored flags in a timely fashion can be troublesome, particularly in areas where weather and water conditions are so unpredictable. Another potential problem with beach flags is that lifeguards often are required to take the flags down when they leave for the day. Many drowning deaths occur after hours when both lifeguards and flags are absent. Perhaps a special flag or sign is needed to discourage swimmers from entering the water after hours, particularly when water conditions are dangerous.
Flags to Identify Water Quality
One option is to use an appropriately striped flagpole from which could fly a colored water quality flag. Such flag systems have been met with much success at both freshwater and marine beaches worldwide. Red flags are often used to indicate no swimming because of high bacteria levels. Blue flags generally indicate acceptable bacteria levels as of the date of the last test. Blue flags (and Blue Flag awards) are used in Europe and South Africa to indicate clean water that has passed bacteria standards (see www.blueflag.org
/Criteria/EuropeanBeaches). In some states, such as Kansas, blue flags are used to indicate clean water, while green flags indicate water is safe for recreation activities, but persons should shower if they've had full contact with the water, should avoid swallowing the water, and should wash their hands before eating or drinking. However, these are advisable regardless of bacteria levels and should be part of a general education campaign regarding water quality issues.
Flags to Identify Surf Conditions
The water quality flag system should not be confused with a beach warning flag system often used at marine beaches to indicate surf conditions. Most beach flag advocates recommend the traffic light color scheme (red, yellow, and green).
Double red: water closed to public
Red: high hazard
Yellow: medium hazard
Green: low hazard
Purple: marine pest present
Channeling the Public to Beach Access Points
Aggressive safety signage is a vitally important service for all beach visitors, but even the best signs will be ineffective if they are not read because the public is not drawn to them. With appropriate landscaping, fences, and barriers, the public—particularly families with young children—can be better warned and educated as they are channeled to approved shoreline points that have been inspected for safety. Approved access points are recommended instead of attempting to place signage in a repeated manner across an entire beachfront. Providing easy access for persons with disabilities during this channeling process is of paramount importance.
Once shoreline zones and access points are identified, one option is to put in place a numbering system for each access area. The numbers should be consecutive and continue along the perimeter of the shoreline to the last numbered access point. For an inland body of water, the system of numbering should rotate clockwise around the waterfront. No distinction in the number system should be made between the shoreline zones and types of access points (wading, fishing, boating, closed access, and so on). This numbering system allows for a coordinated and timely response from the local emergency services (police, fire, EMS) because all zones are numbered for identification and follow a numerical pattern around the shoreline rather than randomly assigned numbers for each area. A tall telephone-type pole or PVC pole striped with the zone color should be placed in a central location, prominently displaying the access point number on an appropriately colored sign (blue, green, brown, or orange). These beach poles can also be used as family meeting places should children become separated from their parents. Emergency pull boxes or call boxes and basic water rescue equipment could also be placed on or near these poles.
Functional and friendly access to the beach can be accomplished through a variety of ways including fences, landscaping that cannot be breached, berms, and other physical barriers. Whether driving, biking, or walking to the beach, guests should eventually be guided through a few central pedestrian paths, walkovers, or entrances so that each and every guest can be effectively and efficiently educated about safe and enjoyable ways to use the beach.
An information kiosk that is weatherproof and vandal proof should also be placed at most entrances. These kiosks can help convey advisories and public education materials. Likewise, boaters should be warned and educated as they are channeled or funneled to their launches.
Using Access Points to Warn and Educate
If you strategically position aggressive warning signs that are designed properly and not camouflaged in long lists of rules and regulations, it would be difficult for guests to claim ignorance. People who have been injured at the beach often claim they were unaware the hazard existed or that they did not see the warning signs.
Hazard signs and other warnings particular to certain beaches are of paramount importance and should be placed at each entrance. Danger and warning signs at beach entry points should be emphasized over other rules and regulations (e.g., directions and behaviors that are not life threatening), should be larger and more conspicuous than other signage, and should use appropriate warning shapes and colors. Borrowing from the highway signs is an excellent idea in this regard.
Universal Warnings
Of all the rules, regulations, and information needing to be signed at beaches, there are five very important warnings that apply universally to just about all beaches:
1. Parents, please supervise your children closely and constantly.
2. No diving or other headfirst entries.
3. No breath holding or prolonged underwater swimming.
4. Nonswimmers should always wear a lifejacket.
5. Warning: Hidden hazards. (Include beach-specific hazards here: rip currents, dangerous marine life, and so on.)
At most swimming beaches, all other information falls far below the significance and timeliness of these four major safety concerns. These warnings are also important for reminding individuals and families of their responsibility to behave in a way that reduces the likelihood of an injury or drowning. Beaches can simply, inexpensively, and effectively post these five warnings conspicuously in parking lots, at the beach entrances, and on the back of lifeguard stations.
Warn to Supervise Children
Unfortunately, parents do not realize how quickly a drowning can occur. It takes only seconds for a child to drown, some estimates stating that drowning can occur in as little as 90 seconds.
Adults are often lax in supervision, thinking their supervision is adequate if they are in the general area and occasionally checking where their children are. If parents are not in the water with children who are weak swimmers or nonswimmers, and they are not within arm's reach, they are not actively supervising their
children.
Distressed nonswimmers can slip beneath the surface of the water in as little as 20 seconds and without warning. Once a child slips below the surface of the water, drowning occurs silently. Although many parents supervise their children passively at home, when it comes to safety in, on, or around the water, children must be supervised both actively and aggressively. Messages such as “If you're more than an arm's length away, you've gone too far”; “Two seconds is too long”; and “It only takes seconds for a child to drown” are important safety messages that have been used throughout North America. All waterfronts should adopt a safety campaign to educate the public that children of tender years must be closely guarded around the water.
Warn Against Headfirst Entries
Approximately 800 to 900 catastrophic neck injuries resulting in permanent paralysis (quadriplegia or paraplegia) or death are caused by ill-advised headfirst entries into shallow water. Of these injuries, most result in death. Most serious neck injuries occur in open water rather than in swimming pools or from diving boards. Approximately two-thirds of all catastrophic neck injuries occur in open-water environments (Griffiths 2003). Running down a beach and then diving headfirst into shallow water is a classic recipe for a catastrophic neck injury. Particularly when both turbid and shallow water exist, catastrophic neck injuries are a very real hazard. Additionally, many people believe the longer a dock extends into the water, the deeper the water is, and as a result, diving is safe from the end of most docks. Of course, this is not necessarily true, and someone's poor judgment in this regard can result in serious injury or death.
Aggressive warnings prohibiting headfirst entries from beaches, docks, piers, and other structures into open water are clearly necessary. “No diving” signs with a “no diving” international graphic logo should be posted strategically. “No diving” should also be posted directly onto the horizontal planks and vertical posts of all docks, piers, and jetties. Because most diving injuries involve alcohol consumption, a serious yet creative sign campaign could state “Drinking and diving do not mix.”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Psychology of Lifeguarding
Lifeguard training agencies give lifeguards the knowledge and water skills they need in order to do their jobs effectively.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Beach Types and Hazards
Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches.
Approved Wading Access (Color Code: Green and White)
Wading is defined as walking in the water to a depth no greater than waist deep. Waders should be instructed to have one foot on the bottom at all times and to not submerge beneath the surface. If water quality monitoring programs are not in place, it is advisable to post a sign indicating the lack of a water quality program: “Caution: Bacteria levels not monitored. For your safety, keep your head above water at all times.” United States Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices (lifejackets) should be worn by nonswimmers in these areas. Parents must be urged to actively supervise their young waders from the water, not the beach.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches. Although many experts agree with the beach flag concept, changing the colored flags in a timely fashion can be troublesome, particularly in areas where weather and water conditions are so unpredictable. Another potential problem with beach flags is that lifeguards often are required to take the flags down when they leave for the day. Many drowning deaths occur after hours when both lifeguards and flags are absent. Perhaps a special flag or sign is needed to discourage swimmers from entering the water after hours, particularly when water conditions are dangerous.
Flags to Identify Water Quality
One option is to use an appropriately striped flagpole from which could fly a colored water quality flag. Such flag systems have been met with much success at both freshwater and marine beaches worldwide. Red flags are often used to indicate no swimming because of high bacteria levels. Blue flags generally indicate acceptable bacteria levels as of the date of the last test. Blue flags (and Blue Flag awards) are used in Europe and South Africa to indicate clean water that has passed bacteria standards (see www.blueflag.org
/Criteria/EuropeanBeaches). In some states, such as Kansas, blue flags are used to indicate clean water, while green flags indicate water is safe for recreation activities, but persons should shower if they've had full contact with the water, should avoid swallowing the water, and should wash their hands before eating or drinking. However, these are advisable regardless of bacteria levels and should be part of a general education campaign regarding water quality issues.
Flags to Identify Surf Conditions
The water quality flag system should not be confused with a beach warning flag system often used at marine beaches to indicate surf conditions. Most beach flag advocates recommend the traffic light color scheme (red, yellow, and green).
Double red: water closed to public
Red: high hazard
Yellow: medium hazard
Green: low hazard
Purple: marine pest present
Channeling the Public to Beach Access Points
Aggressive safety signage is a vitally important service for all beach visitors, but even the best signs will be ineffective if they are not read because the public is not drawn to them. With appropriate landscaping, fences, and barriers, the public—particularly families with young children—can be better warned and educated as they are channeled to approved shoreline points that have been inspected for safety. Approved access points are recommended instead of attempting to place signage in a repeated manner across an entire beachfront. Providing easy access for persons with disabilities during this channeling process is of paramount importance.
Once shoreline zones and access points are identified, one option is to put in place a numbering system for each access area. The numbers should be consecutive and continue along the perimeter of the shoreline to the last numbered access point. For an inland body of water, the system of numbering should rotate clockwise around the waterfront. No distinction in the number system should be made between the shoreline zones and types of access points (wading, fishing, boating, closed access, and so on). This numbering system allows for a coordinated and timely response from the local emergency services (police, fire, EMS) because all zones are numbered for identification and follow a numerical pattern around the shoreline rather than randomly assigned numbers for each area. A tall telephone-type pole or PVC pole striped with the zone color should be placed in a central location, prominently displaying the access point number on an appropriately colored sign (blue, green, brown, or orange). These beach poles can also be used as family meeting places should children become separated from their parents. Emergency pull boxes or call boxes and basic water rescue equipment could also be placed on or near these poles.
Functional and friendly access to the beach can be accomplished through a variety of ways including fences, landscaping that cannot be breached, berms, and other physical barriers. Whether driving, biking, or walking to the beach, guests should eventually be guided through a few central pedestrian paths, walkovers, or entrances so that each and every guest can be effectively and efficiently educated about safe and enjoyable ways to use the beach.
An information kiosk that is weatherproof and vandal proof should also be placed at most entrances. These kiosks can help convey advisories and public education materials. Likewise, boaters should be warned and educated as they are channeled or funneled to their launches.
Using Access Points to Warn and Educate
If you strategically position aggressive warning signs that are designed properly and not camouflaged in long lists of rules and regulations, it would be difficult for guests to claim ignorance. People who have been injured at the beach often claim they were unaware the hazard existed or that they did not see the warning signs.
Hazard signs and other warnings particular to certain beaches are of paramount importance and should be placed at each entrance. Danger and warning signs at beach entry points should be emphasized over other rules and regulations (e.g., directions and behaviors that are not life threatening), should be larger and more conspicuous than other signage, and should use appropriate warning shapes and colors. Borrowing from the highway signs is an excellent idea in this regard.
Universal Warnings
Of all the rules, regulations, and information needing to be signed at beaches, there are five very important warnings that apply universally to just about all beaches:
1. Parents, please supervise your children closely and constantly.
2. No diving or other headfirst entries.
3. No breath holding or prolonged underwater swimming.
4. Nonswimmers should always wear a lifejacket.
5. Warning: Hidden hazards. (Include beach-specific hazards here: rip currents, dangerous marine life, and so on.)
At most swimming beaches, all other information falls far below the significance and timeliness of these four major safety concerns. These warnings are also important for reminding individuals and families of their responsibility to behave in a way that reduces the likelihood of an injury or drowning. Beaches can simply, inexpensively, and effectively post these five warnings conspicuously in parking lots, at the beach entrances, and on the back of lifeguard stations.
Warn to Supervise Children
Unfortunately, parents do not realize how quickly a drowning can occur. It takes only seconds for a child to drown, some estimates stating that drowning can occur in as little as 90 seconds.
Adults are often lax in supervision, thinking their supervision is adequate if they are in the general area and occasionally checking where their children are. If parents are not in the water with children who are weak swimmers or nonswimmers, and they are not within arm's reach, they are not actively supervising their
children.
Distressed nonswimmers can slip beneath the surface of the water in as little as 20 seconds and without warning. Once a child slips below the surface of the water, drowning occurs silently. Although many parents supervise their children passively at home, when it comes to safety in, on, or around the water, children must be supervised both actively and aggressively. Messages such as “If you're more than an arm's length away, you've gone too far”; “Two seconds is too long”; and “It only takes seconds for a child to drown” are important safety messages that have been used throughout North America. All waterfronts should adopt a safety campaign to educate the public that children of tender years must be closely guarded around the water.
Warn Against Headfirst Entries
Approximately 800 to 900 catastrophic neck injuries resulting in permanent paralysis (quadriplegia or paraplegia) or death are caused by ill-advised headfirst entries into shallow water. Of these injuries, most result in death. Most serious neck injuries occur in open water rather than in swimming pools or from diving boards. Approximately two-thirds of all catastrophic neck injuries occur in open-water environments (Griffiths 2003). Running down a beach and then diving headfirst into shallow water is a classic recipe for a catastrophic neck injury. Particularly when both turbid and shallow water exist, catastrophic neck injuries are a very real hazard. Additionally, many people believe the longer a dock extends into the water, the deeper the water is, and as a result, diving is safe from the end of most docks. Of course, this is not necessarily true, and someone's poor judgment in this regard can result in serious injury or death.
Aggressive warnings prohibiting headfirst entries from beaches, docks, piers, and other structures into open water are clearly necessary. “No diving” signs with a “no diving” international graphic logo should be posted strategically. “No diving” should also be posted directly onto the horizontal planks and vertical posts of all docks, piers, and jetties. Because most diving injuries involve alcohol consumption, a serious yet creative sign campaign could state “Drinking and diving do not mix.”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Psychology of Lifeguarding
Lifeguard training agencies give lifeguards the knowledge and water skills they need in order to do their jobs effectively.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Beach Types and Hazards
Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches.
Approved Wading Access (Color Code: Green and White)
Wading is defined as walking in the water to a depth no greater than waist deep. Waders should be instructed to have one foot on the bottom at all times and to not submerge beneath the surface. If water quality monitoring programs are not in place, it is advisable to post a sign indicating the lack of a water quality program: “Caution: Bacteria levels not monitored. For your safety, keep your head above water at all times.” United States Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices (lifejackets) should be worn by nonswimmers in these areas. Parents must be urged to actively supervise their young waders from the water, not the beach.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches. Although many experts agree with the beach flag concept, changing the colored flags in a timely fashion can be troublesome, particularly in areas where weather and water conditions are so unpredictable. Another potential problem with beach flags is that lifeguards often are required to take the flags down when they leave for the day. Many drowning deaths occur after hours when both lifeguards and flags are absent. Perhaps a special flag or sign is needed to discourage swimmers from entering the water after hours, particularly when water conditions are dangerous.
Flags to Identify Water Quality
One option is to use an appropriately striped flagpole from which could fly a colored water quality flag. Such flag systems have been met with much success at both freshwater and marine beaches worldwide. Red flags are often used to indicate no swimming because of high bacteria levels. Blue flags generally indicate acceptable bacteria levels as of the date of the last test. Blue flags (and Blue Flag awards) are used in Europe and South Africa to indicate clean water that has passed bacteria standards (see www.blueflag.org
/Criteria/EuropeanBeaches). In some states, such as Kansas, blue flags are used to indicate clean water, while green flags indicate water is safe for recreation activities, but persons should shower if they've had full contact with the water, should avoid swallowing the water, and should wash their hands before eating or drinking. However, these are advisable regardless of bacteria levels and should be part of a general education campaign regarding water quality issues.
Flags to Identify Surf Conditions
The water quality flag system should not be confused with a beach warning flag system often used at marine beaches to indicate surf conditions. Most beach flag advocates recommend the traffic light color scheme (red, yellow, and green).
Double red: water closed to public
Red: high hazard
Yellow: medium hazard
Green: low hazard
Purple: marine pest present
Channeling the Public to Beach Access Points
Aggressive safety signage is a vitally important service for all beach visitors, but even the best signs will be ineffective if they are not read because the public is not drawn to them. With appropriate landscaping, fences, and barriers, the public—particularly families with young children—can be better warned and educated as they are channeled to approved shoreline points that have been inspected for safety. Approved access points are recommended instead of attempting to place signage in a repeated manner across an entire beachfront. Providing easy access for persons with disabilities during this channeling process is of paramount importance.
Once shoreline zones and access points are identified, one option is to put in place a numbering system for each access area. The numbers should be consecutive and continue along the perimeter of the shoreline to the last numbered access point. For an inland body of water, the system of numbering should rotate clockwise around the waterfront. No distinction in the number system should be made between the shoreline zones and types of access points (wading, fishing, boating, closed access, and so on). This numbering system allows for a coordinated and timely response from the local emergency services (police, fire, EMS) because all zones are numbered for identification and follow a numerical pattern around the shoreline rather than randomly assigned numbers for each area. A tall telephone-type pole or PVC pole striped with the zone color should be placed in a central location, prominently displaying the access point number on an appropriately colored sign (blue, green, brown, or orange). These beach poles can also be used as family meeting places should children become separated from their parents. Emergency pull boxes or call boxes and basic water rescue equipment could also be placed on or near these poles.
Functional and friendly access to the beach can be accomplished through a variety of ways including fences, landscaping that cannot be breached, berms, and other physical barriers. Whether driving, biking, or walking to the beach, guests should eventually be guided through a few central pedestrian paths, walkovers, or entrances so that each and every guest can be effectively and efficiently educated about safe and enjoyable ways to use the beach.
An information kiosk that is weatherproof and vandal proof should also be placed at most entrances. These kiosks can help convey advisories and public education materials. Likewise, boaters should be warned and educated as they are channeled or funneled to their launches.
Using Access Points to Warn and Educate
If you strategically position aggressive warning signs that are designed properly and not camouflaged in long lists of rules and regulations, it would be difficult for guests to claim ignorance. People who have been injured at the beach often claim they were unaware the hazard existed or that they did not see the warning signs.
Hazard signs and other warnings particular to certain beaches are of paramount importance and should be placed at each entrance. Danger and warning signs at beach entry points should be emphasized over other rules and regulations (e.g., directions and behaviors that are not life threatening), should be larger and more conspicuous than other signage, and should use appropriate warning shapes and colors. Borrowing from the highway signs is an excellent idea in this regard.
Universal Warnings
Of all the rules, regulations, and information needing to be signed at beaches, there are five very important warnings that apply universally to just about all beaches:
1. Parents, please supervise your children closely and constantly.
2. No diving or other headfirst entries.
3. No breath holding or prolonged underwater swimming.
4. Nonswimmers should always wear a lifejacket.
5. Warning: Hidden hazards. (Include beach-specific hazards here: rip currents, dangerous marine life, and so on.)
At most swimming beaches, all other information falls far below the significance and timeliness of these four major safety concerns. These warnings are also important for reminding individuals and families of their responsibility to behave in a way that reduces the likelihood of an injury or drowning. Beaches can simply, inexpensively, and effectively post these five warnings conspicuously in parking lots, at the beach entrances, and on the back of lifeguard stations.
Warn to Supervise Children
Unfortunately, parents do not realize how quickly a drowning can occur. It takes only seconds for a child to drown, some estimates stating that drowning can occur in as little as 90 seconds.
Adults are often lax in supervision, thinking their supervision is adequate if they are in the general area and occasionally checking where their children are. If parents are not in the water with children who are weak swimmers or nonswimmers, and they are not within arm's reach, they are not actively supervising their
children.
Distressed nonswimmers can slip beneath the surface of the water in as little as 20 seconds and without warning. Once a child slips below the surface of the water, drowning occurs silently. Although many parents supervise their children passively at home, when it comes to safety in, on, or around the water, children must be supervised both actively and aggressively. Messages such as “If you're more than an arm's length away, you've gone too far”; “Two seconds is too long”; and “It only takes seconds for a child to drown” are important safety messages that have been used throughout North America. All waterfronts should adopt a safety campaign to educate the public that children of tender years must be closely guarded around the water.
Warn Against Headfirst Entries
Approximately 800 to 900 catastrophic neck injuries resulting in permanent paralysis (quadriplegia or paraplegia) or death are caused by ill-advised headfirst entries into shallow water. Of these injuries, most result in death. Most serious neck injuries occur in open water rather than in swimming pools or from diving boards. Approximately two-thirds of all catastrophic neck injuries occur in open-water environments (Griffiths 2003). Running down a beach and then diving headfirst into shallow water is a classic recipe for a catastrophic neck injury. Particularly when both turbid and shallow water exist, catastrophic neck injuries are a very real hazard. Additionally, many people believe the longer a dock extends into the water, the deeper the water is, and as a result, diving is safe from the end of most docks. Of course, this is not necessarily true, and someone's poor judgment in this regard can result in serious injury or death.
Aggressive warnings prohibiting headfirst entries from beaches, docks, piers, and other structures into open water are clearly necessary. “No diving” signs with a “no diving” international graphic logo should be posted strategically. “No diving” should also be posted directly onto the horizontal planks and vertical posts of all docks, piers, and jetties. Because most diving injuries involve alcohol consumption, a serious yet creative sign campaign could state “Drinking and diving do not mix.”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Psychology of Lifeguarding
Lifeguard training agencies give lifeguards the knowledge and water skills they need in order to do their jobs effectively.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Beach Types and Hazards
Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches.
Approved Wading Access (Color Code: Green and White)
Wading is defined as walking in the water to a depth no greater than waist deep. Waders should be instructed to have one foot on the bottom at all times and to not submerge beneath the surface. If water quality monitoring programs are not in place, it is advisable to post a sign indicating the lack of a water quality program: “Caution: Bacteria levels not monitored. For your safety, keep your head above water at all times.” United States Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices (lifejackets) should be worn by nonswimmers in these areas. Parents must be urged to actively supervise their young waders from the water, not the beach.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches. Although many experts agree with the beach flag concept, changing the colored flags in a timely fashion can be troublesome, particularly in areas where weather and water conditions are so unpredictable. Another potential problem with beach flags is that lifeguards often are required to take the flags down when they leave for the day. Many drowning deaths occur after hours when both lifeguards and flags are absent. Perhaps a special flag or sign is needed to discourage swimmers from entering the water after hours, particularly when water conditions are dangerous.
Flags to Identify Water Quality
One option is to use an appropriately striped flagpole from which could fly a colored water quality flag. Such flag systems have been met with much success at both freshwater and marine beaches worldwide. Red flags are often used to indicate no swimming because of high bacteria levels. Blue flags generally indicate acceptable bacteria levels as of the date of the last test. Blue flags (and Blue Flag awards) are used in Europe and South Africa to indicate clean water that has passed bacteria standards (see www.blueflag.org
/Criteria/EuropeanBeaches). In some states, such as Kansas, blue flags are used to indicate clean water, while green flags indicate water is safe for recreation activities, but persons should shower if they've had full contact with the water, should avoid swallowing the water, and should wash their hands before eating or drinking. However, these are advisable regardless of bacteria levels and should be part of a general education campaign regarding water quality issues.
Flags to Identify Surf Conditions
The water quality flag system should not be confused with a beach warning flag system often used at marine beaches to indicate surf conditions. Most beach flag advocates recommend the traffic light color scheme (red, yellow, and green).
Double red: water closed to public
Red: high hazard
Yellow: medium hazard
Green: low hazard
Purple: marine pest present
Channeling the Public to Beach Access Points
Aggressive safety signage is a vitally important service for all beach visitors, but even the best signs will be ineffective if they are not read because the public is not drawn to them. With appropriate landscaping, fences, and barriers, the public—particularly families with young children—can be better warned and educated as they are channeled to approved shoreline points that have been inspected for safety. Approved access points are recommended instead of attempting to place signage in a repeated manner across an entire beachfront. Providing easy access for persons with disabilities during this channeling process is of paramount importance.
Once shoreline zones and access points are identified, one option is to put in place a numbering system for each access area. The numbers should be consecutive and continue along the perimeter of the shoreline to the last numbered access point. For an inland body of water, the system of numbering should rotate clockwise around the waterfront. No distinction in the number system should be made between the shoreline zones and types of access points (wading, fishing, boating, closed access, and so on). This numbering system allows for a coordinated and timely response from the local emergency services (police, fire, EMS) because all zones are numbered for identification and follow a numerical pattern around the shoreline rather than randomly assigned numbers for each area. A tall telephone-type pole or PVC pole striped with the zone color should be placed in a central location, prominently displaying the access point number on an appropriately colored sign (blue, green, brown, or orange). These beach poles can also be used as family meeting places should children become separated from their parents. Emergency pull boxes or call boxes and basic water rescue equipment could also be placed on or near these poles.
Functional and friendly access to the beach can be accomplished through a variety of ways including fences, landscaping that cannot be breached, berms, and other physical barriers. Whether driving, biking, or walking to the beach, guests should eventually be guided through a few central pedestrian paths, walkovers, or entrances so that each and every guest can be effectively and efficiently educated about safe and enjoyable ways to use the beach.
An information kiosk that is weatherproof and vandal proof should also be placed at most entrances. These kiosks can help convey advisories and public education materials. Likewise, boaters should be warned and educated as they are channeled or funneled to their launches.
Using Access Points to Warn and Educate
If you strategically position aggressive warning signs that are designed properly and not camouflaged in long lists of rules and regulations, it would be difficult for guests to claim ignorance. People who have been injured at the beach often claim they were unaware the hazard existed or that they did not see the warning signs.
Hazard signs and other warnings particular to certain beaches are of paramount importance and should be placed at each entrance. Danger and warning signs at beach entry points should be emphasized over other rules and regulations (e.g., directions and behaviors that are not life threatening), should be larger and more conspicuous than other signage, and should use appropriate warning shapes and colors. Borrowing from the highway signs is an excellent idea in this regard.
Universal Warnings
Of all the rules, regulations, and information needing to be signed at beaches, there are five very important warnings that apply universally to just about all beaches:
1. Parents, please supervise your children closely and constantly.
2. No diving or other headfirst entries.
3. No breath holding or prolonged underwater swimming.
4. Nonswimmers should always wear a lifejacket.
5. Warning: Hidden hazards. (Include beach-specific hazards here: rip currents, dangerous marine life, and so on.)
At most swimming beaches, all other information falls far below the significance and timeliness of these four major safety concerns. These warnings are also important for reminding individuals and families of their responsibility to behave in a way that reduces the likelihood of an injury or drowning. Beaches can simply, inexpensively, and effectively post these five warnings conspicuously in parking lots, at the beach entrances, and on the back of lifeguard stations.
Warn to Supervise Children
Unfortunately, parents do not realize how quickly a drowning can occur. It takes only seconds for a child to drown, some estimates stating that drowning can occur in as little as 90 seconds.
Adults are often lax in supervision, thinking their supervision is adequate if they are in the general area and occasionally checking where their children are. If parents are not in the water with children who are weak swimmers or nonswimmers, and they are not within arm's reach, they are not actively supervising their
children.
Distressed nonswimmers can slip beneath the surface of the water in as little as 20 seconds and without warning. Once a child slips below the surface of the water, drowning occurs silently. Although many parents supervise their children passively at home, when it comes to safety in, on, or around the water, children must be supervised both actively and aggressively. Messages such as “If you're more than an arm's length away, you've gone too far”; “Two seconds is too long”; and “It only takes seconds for a child to drown” are important safety messages that have been used throughout North America. All waterfronts should adopt a safety campaign to educate the public that children of tender years must be closely guarded around the water.
Warn Against Headfirst Entries
Approximately 800 to 900 catastrophic neck injuries resulting in permanent paralysis (quadriplegia or paraplegia) or death are caused by ill-advised headfirst entries into shallow water. Of these injuries, most result in death. Most serious neck injuries occur in open water rather than in swimming pools or from diving boards. Approximately two-thirds of all catastrophic neck injuries occur in open-water environments (Griffiths 2003). Running down a beach and then diving headfirst into shallow water is a classic recipe for a catastrophic neck injury. Particularly when both turbid and shallow water exist, catastrophic neck injuries are a very real hazard. Additionally, many people believe the longer a dock extends into the water, the deeper the water is, and as a result, diving is safe from the end of most docks. Of course, this is not necessarily true, and someone's poor judgment in this regard can result in serious injury or death.
Aggressive warnings prohibiting headfirst entries from beaches, docks, piers, and other structures into open water are clearly necessary. “No diving” signs with a “no diving” international graphic logo should be posted strategically. “No diving” should also be posted directly onto the horizontal planks and vertical posts of all docks, piers, and jetties. Because most diving injuries involve alcohol consumption, a serious yet creative sign campaign could state “Drinking and diving do not mix.”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Psychology of Lifeguarding
Lifeguard training agencies give lifeguards the knowledge and water skills they need in order to do their jobs effectively.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Beach Types and Hazards
Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches.
Approved Wading Access (Color Code: Green and White)
Wading is defined as walking in the water to a depth no greater than waist deep. Waders should be instructed to have one foot on the bottom at all times and to not submerge beneath the surface. If water quality monitoring programs are not in place, it is advisable to post a sign indicating the lack of a water quality program: “Caution: Bacteria levels not monitored. For your safety, keep your head above water at all times.” United States Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices (lifejackets) should be worn by nonswimmers in these areas. Parents must be urged to actively supervise their young waders from the water, not the beach.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches. Although many experts agree with the beach flag concept, changing the colored flags in a timely fashion can be troublesome, particularly in areas where weather and water conditions are so unpredictable. Another potential problem with beach flags is that lifeguards often are required to take the flags down when they leave for the day. Many drowning deaths occur after hours when both lifeguards and flags are absent. Perhaps a special flag or sign is needed to discourage swimmers from entering the water after hours, particularly when water conditions are dangerous.
Flags to Identify Water Quality
One option is to use an appropriately striped flagpole from which could fly a colored water quality flag. Such flag systems have been met with much success at both freshwater and marine beaches worldwide. Red flags are often used to indicate no swimming because of high bacteria levels. Blue flags generally indicate acceptable bacteria levels as of the date of the last test. Blue flags (and Blue Flag awards) are used in Europe and South Africa to indicate clean water that has passed bacteria standards (see www.blueflag.org
/Criteria/EuropeanBeaches). In some states, such as Kansas, blue flags are used to indicate clean water, while green flags indicate water is safe for recreation activities, but persons should shower if they've had full contact with the water, should avoid swallowing the water, and should wash their hands before eating or drinking. However, these are advisable regardless of bacteria levels and should be part of a general education campaign regarding water quality issues.
Flags to Identify Surf Conditions
The water quality flag system should not be confused with a beach warning flag system often used at marine beaches to indicate surf conditions. Most beach flag advocates recommend the traffic light color scheme (red, yellow, and green).
Double red: water closed to public
Red: high hazard
Yellow: medium hazard
Green: low hazard
Purple: marine pest present
Channeling the Public to Beach Access Points
Aggressive safety signage is a vitally important service for all beach visitors, but even the best signs will be ineffective if they are not read because the public is not drawn to them. With appropriate landscaping, fences, and barriers, the public—particularly families with young children—can be better warned and educated as they are channeled to approved shoreline points that have been inspected for safety. Approved access points are recommended instead of attempting to place signage in a repeated manner across an entire beachfront. Providing easy access for persons with disabilities during this channeling process is of paramount importance.
Once shoreline zones and access points are identified, one option is to put in place a numbering system for each access area. The numbers should be consecutive and continue along the perimeter of the shoreline to the last numbered access point. For an inland body of water, the system of numbering should rotate clockwise around the waterfront. No distinction in the number system should be made between the shoreline zones and types of access points (wading, fishing, boating, closed access, and so on). This numbering system allows for a coordinated and timely response from the local emergency services (police, fire, EMS) because all zones are numbered for identification and follow a numerical pattern around the shoreline rather than randomly assigned numbers for each area. A tall telephone-type pole or PVC pole striped with the zone color should be placed in a central location, prominently displaying the access point number on an appropriately colored sign (blue, green, brown, or orange). These beach poles can also be used as family meeting places should children become separated from their parents. Emergency pull boxes or call boxes and basic water rescue equipment could also be placed on or near these poles.
Functional and friendly access to the beach can be accomplished through a variety of ways including fences, landscaping that cannot be breached, berms, and other physical barriers. Whether driving, biking, or walking to the beach, guests should eventually be guided through a few central pedestrian paths, walkovers, or entrances so that each and every guest can be effectively and efficiently educated about safe and enjoyable ways to use the beach.
An information kiosk that is weatherproof and vandal proof should also be placed at most entrances. These kiosks can help convey advisories and public education materials. Likewise, boaters should be warned and educated as they are channeled or funneled to their launches.
Using Access Points to Warn and Educate
If you strategically position aggressive warning signs that are designed properly and not camouflaged in long lists of rules and regulations, it would be difficult for guests to claim ignorance. People who have been injured at the beach often claim they were unaware the hazard existed or that they did not see the warning signs.
Hazard signs and other warnings particular to certain beaches are of paramount importance and should be placed at each entrance. Danger and warning signs at beach entry points should be emphasized over other rules and regulations (e.g., directions and behaviors that are not life threatening), should be larger and more conspicuous than other signage, and should use appropriate warning shapes and colors. Borrowing from the highway signs is an excellent idea in this regard.
Universal Warnings
Of all the rules, regulations, and information needing to be signed at beaches, there are five very important warnings that apply universally to just about all beaches:
1. Parents, please supervise your children closely and constantly.
2. No diving or other headfirst entries.
3. No breath holding or prolonged underwater swimming.
4. Nonswimmers should always wear a lifejacket.
5. Warning: Hidden hazards. (Include beach-specific hazards here: rip currents, dangerous marine life, and so on.)
At most swimming beaches, all other information falls far below the significance and timeliness of these four major safety concerns. These warnings are also important for reminding individuals and families of their responsibility to behave in a way that reduces the likelihood of an injury or drowning. Beaches can simply, inexpensively, and effectively post these five warnings conspicuously in parking lots, at the beach entrances, and on the back of lifeguard stations.
Warn to Supervise Children
Unfortunately, parents do not realize how quickly a drowning can occur. It takes only seconds for a child to drown, some estimates stating that drowning can occur in as little as 90 seconds.
Adults are often lax in supervision, thinking their supervision is adequate if they are in the general area and occasionally checking where their children are. If parents are not in the water with children who are weak swimmers or nonswimmers, and they are not within arm's reach, they are not actively supervising their
children.
Distressed nonswimmers can slip beneath the surface of the water in as little as 20 seconds and without warning. Once a child slips below the surface of the water, drowning occurs silently. Although many parents supervise their children passively at home, when it comes to safety in, on, or around the water, children must be supervised both actively and aggressively. Messages such as “If you're more than an arm's length away, you've gone too far”; “Two seconds is too long”; and “It only takes seconds for a child to drown” are important safety messages that have been used throughout North America. All waterfronts should adopt a safety campaign to educate the public that children of tender years must be closely guarded around the water.
Warn Against Headfirst Entries
Approximately 800 to 900 catastrophic neck injuries resulting in permanent paralysis (quadriplegia or paraplegia) or death are caused by ill-advised headfirst entries into shallow water. Of these injuries, most result in death. Most serious neck injuries occur in open water rather than in swimming pools or from diving boards. Approximately two-thirds of all catastrophic neck injuries occur in open-water environments (Griffiths 2003). Running down a beach and then diving headfirst into shallow water is a classic recipe for a catastrophic neck injury. Particularly when both turbid and shallow water exist, catastrophic neck injuries are a very real hazard. Additionally, many people believe the longer a dock extends into the water, the deeper the water is, and as a result, diving is safe from the end of most docks. Of course, this is not necessarily true, and someone's poor judgment in this regard can result in serious injury or death.
Aggressive warnings prohibiting headfirst entries from beaches, docks, piers, and other structures into open water are clearly necessary. “No diving” signs with a “no diving” international graphic logo should be posted strategically. “No diving” should also be posted directly onto the horizontal planks and vertical posts of all docks, piers, and jetties. Because most diving injuries involve alcohol consumption, a serious yet creative sign campaign could state “Drinking and diving do not mix.”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Psychology of Lifeguarding
Lifeguard training agencies give lifeguards the knowledge and water skills they need in order to do their jobs effectively.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Beach Types and Hazards
Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches.
Approved Wading Access (Color Code: Green and White)
Wading is defined as walking in the water to a depth no greater than waist deep. Waders should be instructed to have one foot on the bottom at all times and to not submerge beneath the surface. If water quality monitoring programs are not in place, it is advisable to post a sign indicating the lack of a water quality program: “Caution: Bacteria levels not monitored. For your safety, keep your head above water at all times.” United States Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices (lifejackets) should be worn by nonswimmers in these areas. Parents must be urged to actively supervise their young waders from the water, not the beach.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches. Although many experts agree with the beach flag concept, changing the colored flags in a timely fashion can be troublesome, particularly in areas where weather and water conditions are so unpredictable. Another potential problem with beach flags is that lifeguards often are required to take the flags down when they leave for the day. Many drowning deaths occur after hours when both lifeguards and flags are absent. Perhaps a special flag or sign is needed to discourage swimmers from entering the water after hours, particularly when water conditions are dangerous.
Flags to Identify Water Quality
One option is to use an appropriately striped flagpole from which could fly a colored water quality flag. Such flag systems have been met with much success at both freshwater and marine beaches worldwide. Red flags are often used to indicate no swimming because of high bacteria levels. Blue flags generally indicate acceptable bacteria levels as of the date of the last test. Blue flags (and Blue Flag awards) are used in Europe and South Africa to indicate clean water that has passed bacteria standards (see www.blueflag.org
/Criteria/EuropeanBeaches). In some states, such as Kansas, blue flags are used to indicate clean water, while green flags indicate water is safe for recreation activities, but persons should shower if they've had full contact with the water, should avoid swallowing the water, and should wash their hands before eating or drinking. However, these are advisable regardless of bacteria levels and should be part of a general education campaign regarding water quality issues.
Flags to Identify Surf Conditions
The water quality flag system should not be confused with a beach warning flag system often used at marine beaches to indicate surf conditions. Most beach flag advocates recommend the traffic light color scheme (red, yellow, and green).
Double red: water closed to public
Red: high hazard
Yellow: medium hazard
Green: low hazard
Purple: marine pest present
Channeling the Public to Beach Access Points
Aggressive safety signage is a vitally important service for all beach visitors, but even the best signs will be ineffective if they are not read because the public is not drawn to them. With appropriate landscaping, fences, and barriers, the public—particularly families with young children—can be better warned and educated as they are channeled to approved shoreline points that have been inspected for safety. Approved access points are recommended instead of attempting to place signage in a repeated manner across an entire beachfront. Providing easy access for persons with disabilities during this channeling process is of paramount importance.
Once shoreline zones and access points are identified, one option is to put in place a numbering system for each access area. The numbers should be consecutive and continue along the perimeter of the shoreline to the last numbered access point. For an inland body of water, the system of numbering should rotate clockwise around the waterfront. No distinction in the number system should be made between the shoreline zones and types of access points (wading, fishing, boating, closed access, and so on). This numbering system allows for a coordinated and timely response from the local emergency services (police, fire, EMS) because all zones are numbered for identification and follow a numerical pattern around the shoreline rather than randomly assigned numbers for each area. A tall telephone-type pole or PVC pole striped with the zone color should be placed in a central location, prominently displaying the access point number on an appropriately colored sign (blue, green, brown, or orange). These beach poles can also be used as family meeting places should children become separated from their parents. Emergency pull boxes or call boxes and basic water rescue equipment could also be placed on or near these poles.
Functional and friendly access to the beach can be accomplished through a variety of ways including fences, landscaping that cannot be breached, berms, and other physical barriers. Whether driving, biking, or walking to the beach, guests should eventually be guided through a few central pedestrian paths, walkovers, or entrances so that each and every guest can be effectively and efficiently educated about safe and enjoyable ways to use the beach.
An information kiosk that is weatherproof and vandal proof should also be placed at most entrances. These kiosks can help convey advisories and public education materials. Likewise, boaters should be warned and educated as they are channeled or funneled to their launches.
Using Access Points to Warn and Educate
If you strategically position aggressive warning signs that are designed properly and not camouflaged in long lists of rules and regulations, it would be difficult for guests to claim ignorance. People who have been injured at the beach often claim they were unaware the hazard existed or that they did not see the warning signs.
Hazard signs and other warnings particular to certain beaches are of paramount importance and should be placed at each entrance. Danger and warning signs at beach entry points should be emphasized over other rules and regulations (e.g., directions and behaviors that are not life threatening), should be larger and more conspicuous than other signage, and should use appropriate warning shapes and colors. Borrowing from the highway signs is an excellent idea in this regard.
Universal Warnings
Of all the rules, regulations, and information needing to be signed at beaches, there are five very important warnings that apply universally to just about all beaches:
1. Parents, please supervise your children closely and constantly.
2. No diving or other headfirst entries.
3. No breath holding or prolonged underwater swimming.
4. Nonswimmers should always wear a lifejacket.
5. Warning: Hidden hazards. (Include beach-specific hazards here: rip currents, dangerous marine life, and so on.)
At most swimming beaches, all other information falls far below the significance and timeliness of these four major safety concerns. These warnings are also important for reminding individuals and families of their responsibility to behave in a way that reduces the likelihood of an injury or drowning. Beaches can simply, inexpensively, and effectively post these five warnings conspicuously in parking lots, at the beach entrances, and on the back of lifeguard stations.
Warn to Supervise Children
Unfortunately, parents do not realize how quickly a drowning can occur. It takes only seconds for a child to drown, some estimates stating that drowning can occur in as little as 90 seconds.
Adults are often lax in supervision, thinking their supervision is adequate if they are in the general area and occasionally checking where their children are. If parents are not in the water with children who are weak swimmers or nonswimmers, and they are not within arm's reach, they are not actively supervising their
children.
Distressed nonswimmers can slip beneath the surface of the water in as little as 20 seconds and without warning. Once a child slips below the surface of the water, drowning occurs silently. Although many parents supervise their children passively at home, when it comes to safety in, on, or around the water, children must be supervised both actively and aggressively. Messages such as “If you're more than an arm's length away, you've gone too far”; “Two seconds is too long”; and “It only takes seconds for a child to drown” are important safety messages that have been used throughout North America. All waterfronts should adopt a safety campaign to educate the public that children of tender years must be closely guarded around the water.
Warn Against Headfirst Entries
Approximately 800 to 900 catastrophic neck injuries resulting in permanent paralysis (quadriplegia or paraplegia) or death are caused by ill-advised headfirst entries into shallow water. Of these injuries, most result in death. Most serious neck injuries occur in open water rather than in swimming pools or from diving boards. Approximately two-thirds of all catastrophic neck injuries occur in open-water environments (Griffiths 2003). Running down a beach and then diving headfirst into shallow water is a classic recipe for a catastrophic neck injury. Particularly when both turbid and shallow water exist, catastrophic neck injuries are a very real hazard. Additionally, many people believe the longer a dock extends into the water, the deeper the water is, and as a result, diving is safe from the end of most docks. Of course, this is not necessarily true, and someone's poor judgment in this regard can result in serious injury or death.
Aggressive warnings prohibiting headfirst entries from beaches, docks, piers, and other structures into open water are clearly necessary. “No diving” signs with a “no diving” international graphic logo should be posted strategically. “No diving” should also be posted directly onto the horizontal planks and vertical posts of all docks, piers, and jetties. Because most diving injuries involve alcohol consumption, a serious yet creative sign campaign could state “Drinking and diving do not mix.”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Psychology of Lifeguarding
Lifeguard training agencies give lifeguards the knowledge and water skills they need in order to do their jobs effectively.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Beach Types and Hazards
Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches.
Approved Wading Access (Color Code: Green and White)
Wading is defined as walking in the water to a depth no greater than waist deep. Waders should be instructed to have one foot on the bottom at all times and to not submerge beneath the surface. If water quality monitoring programs are not in place, it is advisable to post a sign indicating the lack of a water quality program: “Caution: Bacteria levels not monitored. For your safety, keep your head above water at all times.” United States Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices (lifejackets) should be worn by nonswimmers in these areas. Parents must be urged to actively supervise their young waders from the water, not the beach.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches. Although many experts agree with the beach flag concept, changing the colored flags in a timely fashion can be troublesome, particularly in areas where weather and water conditions are so unpredictable. Another potential problem with beach flags is that lifeguards often are required to take the flags down when they leave for the day. Many drowning deaths occur after hours when both lifeguards and flags are absent. Perhaps a special flag or sign is needed to discourage swimmers from entering the water after hours, particularly when water conditions are dangerous.
Flags to Identify Water Quality
One option is to use an appropriately striped flagpole from which could fly a colored water quality flag. Such flag systems have been met with much success at both freshwater and marine beaches worldwide. Red flags are often used to indicate no swimming because of high bacteria levels. Blue flags generally indicate acceptable bacteria levels as of the date of the last test. Blue flags (and Blue Flag awards) are used in Europe and South Africa to indicate clean water that has passed bacteria standards (see www.blueflag.org
/Criteria/EuropeanBeaches). In some states, such as Kansas, blue flags are used to indicate clean water, while green flags indicate water is safe for recreation activities, but persons should shower if they've had full contact with the water, should avoid swallowing the water, and should wash their hands before eating or drinking. However, these are advisable regardless of bacteria levels and should be part of a general education campaign regarding water quality issues.
Flags to Identify Surf Conditions
The water quality flag system should not be confused with a beach warning flag system often used at marine beaches to indicate surf conditions. Most beach flag advocates recommend the traffic light color scheme (red, yellow, and green).
Double red: water closed to public
Red: high hazard
Yellow: medium hazard
Green: low hazard
Purple: marine pest present
Channeling the Public to Beach Access Points
Aggressive safety signage is a vitally important service for all beach visitors, but even the best signs will be ineffective if they are not read because the public is not drawn to them. With appropriate landscaping, fences, and barriers, the public—particularly families with young children—can be better warned and educated as they are channeled to approved shoreline points that have been inspected for safety. Approved access points are recommended instead of attempting to place signage in a repeated manner across an entire beachfront. Providing easy access for persons with disabilities during this channeling process is of paramount importance.
Once shoreline zones and access points are identified, one option is to put in place a numbering system for each access area. The numbers should be consecutive and continue along the perimeter of the shoreline to the last numbered access point. For an inland body of water, the system of numbering should rotate clockwise around the waterfront. No distinction in the number system should be made between the shoreline zones and types of access points (wading, fishing, boating, closed access, and so on). This numbering system allows for a coordinated and timely response from the local emergency services (police, fire, EMS) because all zones are numbered for identification and follow a numerical pattern around the shoreline rather than randomly assigned numbers for each area. A tall telephone-type pole or PVC pole striped with the zone color should be placed in a central location, prominently displaying the access point number on an appropriately colored sign (blue, green, brown, or orange). These beach poles can also be used as family meeting places should children become separated from their parents. Emergency pull boxes or call boxes and basic water rescue equipment could also be placed on or near these poles.
Functional and friendly access to the beach can be accomplished through a variety of ways including fences, landscaping that cannot be breached, berms, and other physical barriers. Whether driving, biking, or walking to the beach, guests should eventually be guided through a few central pedestrian paths, walkovers, or entrances so that each and every guest can be effectively and efficiently educated about safe and enjoyable ways to use the beach.
An information kiosk that is weatherproof and vandal proof should also be placed at most entrances. These kiosks can help convey advisories and public education materials. Likewise, boaters should be warned and educated as they are channeled or funneled to their launches.
Using Access Points to Warn and Educate
If you strategically position aggressive warning signs that are designed properly and not camouflaged in long lists of rules and regulations, it would be difficult for guests to claim ignorance. People who have been injured at the beach often claim they were unaware the hazard existed or that they did not see the warning signs.
Hazard signs and other warnings particular to certain beaches are of paramount importance and should be placed at each entrance. Danger and warning signs at beach entry points should be emphasized over other rules and regulations (e.g., directions and behaviors that are not life threatening), should be larger and more conspicuous than other signage, and should use appropriate warning shapes and colors. Borrowing from the highway signs is an excellent idea in this regard.
Universal Warnings
Of all the rules, regulations, and information needing to be signed at beaches, there are five very important warnings that apply universally to just about all beaches:
1. Parents, please supervise your children closely and constantly.
2. No diving or other headfirst entries.
3. No breath holding or prolonged underwater swimming.
4. Nonswimmers should always wear a lifejacket.
5. Warning: Hidden hazards. (Include beach-specific hazards here: rip currents, dangerous marine life, and so on.)
At most swimming beaches, all other information falls far below the significance and timeliness of these four major safety concerns. These warnings are also important for reminding individuals and families of their responsibility to behave in a way that reduces the likelihood of an injury or drowning. Beaches can simply, inexpensively, and effectively post these five warnings conspicuously in parking lots, at the beach entrances, and on the back of lifeguard stations.
Warn to Supervise Children
Unfortunately, parents do not realize how quickly a drowning can occur. It takes only seconds for a child to drown, some estimates stating that drowning can occur in as little as 90 seconds.
Adults are often lax in supervision, thinking their supervision is adequate if they are in the general area and occasionally checking where their children are. If parents are not in the water with children who are weak swimmers or nonswimmers, and they are not within arm's reach, they are not actively supervising their
children.
Distressed nonswimmers can slip beneath the surface of the water in as little as 20 seconds and without warning. Once a child slips below the surface of the water, drowning occurs silently. Although many parents supervise their children passively at home, when it comes to safety in, on, or around the water, children must be supervised both actively and aggressively. Messages such as “If you're more than an arm's length away, you've gone too far”; “Two seconds is too long”; and “It only takes seconds for a child to drown” are important safety messages that have been used throughout North America. All waterfronts should adopt a safety campaign to educate the public that children of tender years must be closely guarded around the water.
Warn Against Headfirst Entries
Approximately 800 to 900 catastrophic neck injuries resulting in permanent paralysis (quadriplegia or paraplegia) or death are caused by ill-advised headfirst entries into shallow water. Of these injuries, most result in death. Most serious neck injuries occur in open water rather than in swimming pools or from diving boards. Approximately two-thirds of all catastrophic neck injuries occur in open-water environments (Griffiths 2003). Running down a beach and then diving headfirst into shallow water is a classic recipe for a catastrophic neck injury. Particularly when both turbid and shallow water exist, catastrophic neck injuries are a very real hazard. Additionally, many people believe the longer a dock extends into the water, the deeper the water is, and as a result, diving is safe from the end of most docks. Of course, this is not necessarily true, and someone's poor judgment in this regard can result in serious injury or death.
Aggressive warnings prohibiting headfirst entries from beaches, docks, piers, and other structures into open water are clearly necessary. “No diving” signs with a “no diving” international graphic logo should be posted strategically. “No diving” should also be posted directly onto the horizontal planks and vertical posts of all docks, piers, and jetties. Because most diving injuries involve alcohol consumption, a serious yet creative sign campaign could state “Drinking and diving do not mix.”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Psychology of Lifeguarding
Lifeguard training agencies give lifeguards the knowledge and water skills they need in order to do their jobs effectively.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Beach Types and Hazards
Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches.
Approved Wading Access (Color Code: Green and White)
Wading is defined as walking in the water to a depth no greater than waist deep. Waders should be instructed to have one foot on the bottom at all times and to not submerge beneath the surface. If water quality monitoring programs are not in place, it is advisable to post a sign indicating the lack of a water quality program: “Caution: Bacteria levels not monitored. For your safety, keep your head above water at all times.” United States Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices (lifejackets) should be worn by nonswimmers in these areas. Parents must be urged to actively supervise their young waders from the water, not the beach.
Placing Beach Flags for Safety Zone Conditions
Beach flags are becoming more popular throughout the world, particularly at surf beaches. Although many experts agree with the beach flag concept, changing the colored flags in a timely fashion can be troublesome, particularly in areas where weather and water conditions are so unpredictable. Another potential problem with beach flags is that lifeguards often are required to take the flags down when they leave for the day. Many drowning deaths occur after hours when both lifeguards and flags are absent. Perhaps a special flag or sign is needed to discourage swimmers from entering the water after hours, particularly when water conditions are dangerous.
Flags to Identify Water Quality
One option is to use an appropriately striped flagpole from which could fly a colored water quality flag. Such flag systems have been met with much success at both freshwater and marine beaches worldwide. Red flags are often used to indicate no swimming because of high bacteria levels. Blue flags generally indicate acceptable bacteria levels as of the date of the last test. Blue flags (and Blue Flag awards) are used in Europe and South Africa to indicate clean water that has passed bacteria standards (see www.blueflag.org
/Criteria/EuropeanBeaches). In some states, such as Kansas, blue flags are used to indicate clean water, while green flags indicate water is safe for recreation activities, but persons should shower if they've had full contact with the water, should avoid swallowing the water, and should wash their hands before eating or drinking. However, these are advisable regardless of bacteria levels and should be part of a general education campaign regarding water quality issues.
Flags to Identify Surf Conditions
The water quality flag system should not be confused with a beach warning flag system often used at marine beaches to indicate surf conditions. Most beach flag advocates recommend the traffic light color scheme (red, yellow, and green).
Double red: water closed to public
Red: high hazard
Yellow: medium hazard
Green: low hazard
Purple: marine pest present
Channeling the Public to Beach Access Points
Aggressive safety signage is a vitally important service for all beach visitors, but even the best signs will be ineffective if they are not read because the public is not drawn to them. With appropriate landscaping, fences, and barriers, the public—particularly families with young children—can be better warned and educated as they are channeled to approved shoreline points that have been inspected for safety. Approved access points are recommended instead of attempting to place signage in a repeated manner across an entire beachfront. Providing easy access for persons with disabilities during this channeling process is of paramount importance.
Once shoreline zones and access points are identified, one option is to put in place a numbering system for each access area. The numbers should be consecutive and continue along the perimeter of the shoreline to the last numbered access point. For an inland body of water, the system of numbering should rotate clockwise around the waterfront. No distinction in the number system should be made between the shoreline zones and types of access points (wading, fishing, boating, closed access, and so on). This numbering system allows for a coordinated and timely response from the local emergency services (police, fire, EMS) because all zones are numbered for identification and follow a numerical pattern around the shoreline rather than randomly assigned numbers for each area. A tall telephone-type pole or PVC pole striped with the zone color should be placed in a central location, prominently displaying the access point number on an appropriately colored sign (blue, green, brown, or orange). These beach poles can also be used as family meeting places should children become separated from their parents. Emergency pull boxes or call boxes and basic water rescue equipment could also be placed on or near these poles.
Functional and friendly access to the beach can be accomplished through a variety of ways including fences, landscaping that cannot be breached, berms, and other physical barriers. Whether driving, biking, or walking to the beach, guests should eventually be guided through a few central pedestrian paths, walkovers, or entrances so that each and every guest can be effectively and efficiently educated about safe and enjoyable ways to use the beach.
An information kiosk that is weatherproof and vandal proof should also be placed at most entrances. These kiosks can help convey advisories and public education materials. Likewise, boaters should be warned and educated as they are channeled or funneled to their launches.
Using Access Points to Warn and Educate
If you strategically position aggressive warning signs that are designed properly and not camouflaged in long lists of rules and regulations, it would be difficult for guests to claim ignorance. People who have been injured at the beach often claim they were unaware the hazard existed or that they did not see the warning signs.
Hazard signs and other warnings particular to certain beaches are of paramount importance and should be placed at each entrance. Danger and warning signs at beach entry points should be emphasized over other rules and regulations (e.g., directions and behaviors that are not life threatening), should be larger and more conspicuous than other signage, and should use appropriate warning shapes and colors. Borrowing from the highway signs is an excellent idea in this regard.
Universal Warnings
Of all the rules, regulations, and information needing to be signed at beaches, there are five very important warnings that apply universally to just about all beaches:
1. Parents, please supervise your children closely and constantly.
2. No diving or other headfirst entries.
3. No breath holding or prolonged underwater swimming.
4. Nonswimmers should always wear a lifejacket.
5. Warning: Hidden hazards. (Include beach-specific hazards here: rip currents, dangerous marine life, and so on.)
At most swimming beaches, all other information falls far below the significance and timeliness of these four major safety concerns. These warnings are also important for reminding individuals and families of their responsibility to behave in a way that reduces the likelihood of an injury or drowning. Beaches can simply, inexpensively, and effectively post these five warnings conspicuously in parking lots, at the beach entrances, and on the back of lifeguard stations.
Warn to Supervise Children
Unfortunately, parents do not realize how quickly a drowning can occur. It takes only seconds for a child to drown, some estimates stating that drowning can occur in as little as 90 seconds.
Adults are often lax in supervision, thinking their supervision is adequate if they are in the general area and occasionally checking where their children are. If parents are not in the water with children who are weak swimmers or nonswimmers, and they are not within arm's reach, they are not actively supervising their
children.
Distressed nonswimmers can slip beneath the surface of the water in as little as 20 seconds and without warning. Once a child slips below the surface of the water, drowning occurs silently. Although many parents supervise their children passively at home, when it comes to safety in, on, or around the water, children must be supervised both actively and aggressively. Messages such as “If you're more than an arm's length away, you've gone too far”; “Two seconds is too long”; and “It only takes seconds for a child to drown” are important safety messages that have been used throughout North America. All waterfronts should adopt a safety campaign to educate the public that children of tender years must be closely guarded around the water.
Warn Against Headfirst Entries
Approximately 800 to 900 catastrophic neck injuries resulting in permanent paralysis (quadriplegia or paraplegia) or death are caused by ill-advised headfirst entries into shallow water. Of these injuries, most result in death. Most serious neck injuries occur in open water rather than in swimming pools or from diving boards. Approximately two-thirds of all catastrophic neck injuries occur in open-water environments (Griffiths 2003). Running down a beach and then diving headfirst into shallow water is a classic recipe for a catastrophic neck injury. Particularly when both turbid and shallow water exist, catastrophic neck injuries are a very real hazard. Additionally, many people believe the longer a dock extends into the water, the deeper the water is, and as a result, diving is safe from the end of most docks. Of course, this is not necessarily true, and someone's poor judgment in this regard can result in serious injury or death.
Aggressive warnings prohibiting headfirst entries from beaches, docks, piers, and other structures into open water are clearly necessary. “No diving” signs with a “no diving” international graphic logo should be posted strategically. “No diving” should also be posted directly onto the horizontal planks and vertical posts of all docks, piers, and jetties. Because most diving injuries involve alcohol consumption, a serious yet creative sign campaign could state “Drinking and diving do not mix.”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
Psychology of Lifeguarding
Lifeguard training agencies give lifeguards the knowledge and water skills they need in order to do their jobs effectively.
Beach Types and Hazards
Vive la difference! Because beaches are so unique with many advantages and disadvantages, beach managers need to know how to best educate beachgoers so their visitors can safely enjoy their beaches. Knowing the demographics of those using the beach along with the idiosyncrasies of the beach will provide for optimal and safe recreational use. This chapter helps you attain this goal so the beach experience will be memorable.
No two beaches are alike. Many beaches do, however, have some similarities. When considering all different beaches, perhaps it is best to establish three major categories for better discussion: surf beaches, flat-water beaches, and river beaches. Regardless of what type of beach is maintained, each has unique hazards that must be known and identified. Reducing conflicts between diverse user groups and warning guests of hidden hazards are of the utmost importance.
Surf Beaches
Approximately 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. This much water produces 375,000 miles (600,000 km) of coastline throughout the world, with 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of coastline found in the United States. The end result is that the world is blessed with hundreds of thousands of beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy. Many of these beaches have varying amounts of surf and tides. Although often thought to be ocean beaches exclusively, surf beaches also include other large bodies of water with waves and currents and “great waters,” including such water bodies as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Wind-generated waves affect sand, rocks, and corals to produce beach sand along with river sediment deposits. The forces of nature produce dynamic and diverse surf beaches that are not only aesthetically pleasing, meditative in nature, and enjoyable but also sometimes dangerous, containing inherent risks and hazards.
Surf beach dangers can vary from very slight to very severe depending on environmental conditions. These dangers include but are not limited to high surf and rip currents; dangerous marine life varying with locality; geological hazards such as rocks, cliffs, reefs, and drop-offs; and pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources. Well-known geographer Bernard Nietschmann maintains that the severity of beach hazards depends on three interacting factors:
- The prevalence and severity of hazards
- The knowledge and experience of the surf beach user
- The presence or absence of professional lifeguards
A more comprehensive discussion of the intricacies of surf beaches can be found in the manual Open Water Lifesaving, published by the United States Lifesaving Association (Brewster 2003).
Rip Currents
As dangerous as they are, rip currents may be the surf beach hazard beachgoers understand the least. However, beachgoers must be aware of and knowledgeable about rip currents more than any other hazard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, approximately 80 percent of all ocean rescues are the result of rip currents. These are localized inshore currents produced by local conditions and should not be referred to as tides. Perhaps it is best to describe rip currents in simple terms: as fast-flowing streams or rivers running out away from the beach and beyond the breaker line. Rip currents are relatively narrow but extremely strong and forceful, and they can pull swimmers and waders away from the beach at an alarming rate. Even the strongest of competitive swimmers cannot beat a rip current by swimming against it. Fortunately, rip currents are easily dealt with by swimming parallel to the beach to remove oneself from the current's grasp. Unfortunately, when people find themselves in the clutches of a rip current, they do exactly what they should not do—they attempt to swim back to the beach, directly into the stronger current. Panic sets in quickly, and drowning follows. Another good thing about rip currents is that they are typically very short lived. Although some rip currents can be more than a quarter mile (.4 km) long, most are not more than a few hundred yards or meters. Strong swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and scuba divers actually use rip currents as a shortcut beyond the surf zone.
It is important to understand how a rip current is born. When wind and waves grow in size and intensity, water pushes and piles up on the beach. After running up the beach, the water seeks its own level by rushing quickly back into the ocean. The strong returning rush of water will often follow underwater channels and troughs on the ocean floor, flow between sandbars, or arise where two opposing longshore currents meet. Rip currents may also arise alongside jetties. In general, the greater the wind, wave, and surf activity, the stronger the rip currents (see figure 1.1).
Although rip currents do display some telltale signs, they are difficult for most tourists and day-trippers to detect. Because only the most seasoned beachgoers, lifeguards, and surfers easily recognize rip currents, they should be considered a hidden hazard to guests and therefore should be signed aggressively. Beach warning flags may also help educate guests if they can be changed in a timely fashion. Detecting rip currents calls for an astute observation of the seascape. Rip currents usually display irregularities on the surface of the water. Typically, these surface irregularities show subtle yet significant traces in a perpendicular path away from the shoreline. A line of small, choppy waves; a line of discolored muddy, murky water; or a line of foam and bubbles going out away from the beach and through the surf zone are perhaps the most reliable signs of a rip current. These signs exist in the narrow, strong neck of the rip and quickly dissipate once the neck dissipates in the head of the current.
Again, although these markers are easy to observe by some, they are readily missed by many. Once caught in a rip current, the unsuspecting victim should attempt to remain calm and work on rhythmic breathing. Two good choices are available when caught in a rip current. One is to simply float and tread water and ride out the rip current beyond the breaker line. Once the rip current dissipates, the swimmer can move slowly parallel to the beach and away from the rip.The other option is to simply swim parallel to shore immediately following the grasp of the rip current without waiting for the rip to pull the swimmer too far from shore.If the swim back to the shoreline is lengthy, the swimmer should wave for assistance. Tragically, swimmers learn about rip currents only when it is too late, and some never live to tell about them.
Surf Zone
Undoubtedly, it's the surf that attracts so many people to our coastlines. The surf zone refers to the wave action between the shoreline and the waves breaking farthest from it. Surf is composed of wind-generated waves. As the wind increases, so do the height and strength of the waves. Big surf attracts many avid water sports enthusiasts, but it also brings with it a myriad of risks and hazards.
Plunging Waves
Plunging wavesare produced by a combination of strong waves and a steeply inclined beach. These waves are characterized by their height and force and are distinguishable in that the breaking crest of the wave curls over and forward to the wave's base without touching the face of the wave. The more enticing the waves are for surfers, the more dangerous they are. Warning beach flags can be especially useful as wave height and strength change, but again, flags must be updated in a timely fashion as the surf conditions change. Entering and exiting the surf zone through large plunging waves can be tricky and even dangerous at times.
Shorebreaks
When plunging waves seem to come from nowhere and break directly on the beach rather than farther out in the surf zone, it is called a shorebreak. This wave action can literally pick people up and rotate them onto their heads, causing severe head and neck injuries. Shorebreak waves can knock people off their feet and then drag them back into the surf with their resulting backwash. Whenever a surf beach is characterized by shorebreak, beachgoers must be warned.
Spilling Waves
Spilling waves tend to be more user friendly and safer for waders, novice swimmers, and beginning surfers. Spilling waves simply roll up through the surf zone and onto the beach without breaking or crashing and most often occur at beaches with gradual bottom slopes. When waves break on the beach, water moves up the beach, known as a wash, swash, or uprush. Conversely, when this same water returns to the ocean, it is called backwash. Backwash can be strong and problematic, but it is not the mysterious undertow that really does not exist. The taller the waves and the steeper the beach, the more severe backwash becomes.
Surging Waves
Surging waves neither curl nor break but simply and quickly rise and fall. The sudden rise and fall of a huge mass of water can cause real problems for unsuspecting visitors. These types of waves are most problematic around rocky coastlines, piers, jetties, and some steep beaches. The powerful rise and fall of surging waves can quickly and abruptly lift people off their feet and deposit them on rocks, and people have been killed by severe head trauma as a result. When it comes to surging waves, the old Hawaiian saying applies: “Never turn your back on the sea!”
Read more about Safer Beaches.
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