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The
California Surf Lifesaving Association suggests using a common
sense approach when visiting the beach and any other outdoor recreational
pursuit. Common sense says that awareness and knowing personal
limitations can PREVENT aquatic injuries and fatalities. Awareness
of the beach environment and changing conditions may be critical
at many beaches. Ripcurrents, sidecurrents, sandbars, piers, jetties,
marine life, and weather conditions CHANGE all the time.
The
best person to ask for beach conditions is the LIFEGUARD. The
best (safest) place to visit the beach is near an open lifeguard
tower or station. Not all beaches have lifeguards and those that
do have different schedules. Due to CHANGING conditions (early
or late in the day, at night and off-peak seasons such as the
spring, fall and winter) sometimes only a small percentage of
lifeguards may be on duty at any given time. Some lifeguard towers
will be open and some closed. If there is a choice, enjoy the
beach near an open lifeguard station.
You
are the best person to understand any personal limitations when
actively enjoying the beach. Remember, the ocean demands great
RESPECT and the ocean is not a pool. Many good pool swimmers are
rescued by lifeguards in the ocean. Second, a leading national
cause for aquatic fatalities and major traumas for young adults
is alcohol . In the water at the beach it is not good enough to
know when to say when. Simply put, salt water and alcohol do not
mix.
To
ask about your local beaches check the Chapter/Agency
page for contact information.
The
California Surf Lifesaving Association works in collaboration
with USLA to establish a variety of programs to improve beach
safety and awareness in the aquatic environment. Our goal is to
prevent beach related fatalities and injuries. We want you to
enjoy your day at the beach!
USLA and CSLSA Top Ten Safety Tips
Information on Ripcurrents, Longshore Currents and
Inshore Holes.
Information on Avoiding Spinal Injuries at the
beach.
Information on National Beach Safety Week, Sample
Letter and Proclamation.
Common Marine Animals. (under construction)
To
find out more about your local beaches check the CHAPTER/AGENCY
page for contact information
1. Swim Near A Lifeguard: USLA statistics over a ten year period
show that the chance of drowning at a beach without lifeguard
protection is almost five times as great as drowning at a beach
with lifeguards. USLA has calculated the chance that a person
will drown while attending a beach protected by USLA affiliated
lifeguards at 1 in 18 million (.0000055%). (top)
2. Learn To Swim: Learning to swim is the best defense against
drowning. Teach children to swim at an early age. Children who
are not taught when they are very young tend to avoid swim instruction
as they age, probably due to embarrassment. Swimming instruction
is a crucial step to protecting children from injury or death.(top)
3. Never Swim Alone: Many drownings involve single swimmers.
When you swim with a buddy, if one of you has a problem, the
other may be able to help, including signaling for assistance
from others. At least have someone onshore watching you. (top)
4. Don't Fight the Current: USLA has found that some 80%
of rescues by USLA affiliated lifeguards at ocean beaches are
caused by rip currents. These currents are formed by surf and
gravity, because once surf pushes water up the slope of the
beach, gravity pulls it back. This can create concentrated rivers
of water moving offshore. Some people mistakenly call this an
undertow, but there is no undercurrent, just an offshore current.
If you are caught in a rip current, don't fight it by trying
to swim directly to shore. Instead, swim parallel to shore until
you feel the current relax, then swim to shore. Most rip currents
are narrow and a short swim parallel to shore will bring you
to safety.(top)
5. Swim Sober: Alcohol is a major factor in drowning. Alcohol
can reduce body temperature and impair swimming ability. Perhaps
more importantly, both alcohol and drugs impair good judgement,
which may cause people to take risks they would not otherwise
take.(top)
6. Leash Your Board: Surfboards and bodyboards should be
used only with a leash. Leashes are usually attached to the
board and the ankle or wrist. They are available in most shops
where surfboards and bodyboards are sold or rented. With a leash,
the user will not become separated from the floatation device.
One additional consideration is a breakaway leash. A few drownings
have been attributed to leashes becoming entangled in underwater
obstructions. A breakaway leash avoids this problem.(top)
7. Don't Float Where You Can't Swim: Nonswimmers often
use floatation devices, like inflatable rafts, to go offshore.
If they fall off, they can quickly drown. No one should use
a floatation device unless they are able to swim. Use of a leash
is not enough because a non-swimmer may panic and be unable
to swim back to the floatation device, even with a leash. The
only exception is a person wearing a Coast Guard approved life
jacket.(top)
8. Life Jackets = Boating Safety: Some 80% of fatalities
associated with boating accidents are from drowning. Most involve
people who never expected to end up in the water, but fell overboard
or ended up in the water when the boat sank. Children are particularly
susceptible to this problem and in many states, children are
required to be in lifejackets whenever they are aboard boats.(top)
9. Don't Dive Headfirst, Protect Your Neck: Serious, lifelong
injuries, including paraplegia, occur every year due to diving
headfirst into unknown water and striking the bottom. Bodysurfing
can result in a serious neck injury when the swimmer's neck
strikes the bottom. Check for depth and obstructions before
diving, then go in feet first the first time; and use caution
while bodysurfing, always extending a hand ahead of you.(top)
10. At Home, You're the Lifeguard: Drowning is the leading
cause of accidental death in many states for children age one
and two. A major reason for this is home pools, which can be
death traps for toddlers. Many of these deaths occur in the
few moments it takes a parent to answer a telephone or doorbell.
NEVER leave a child alone anywhere near a pool. Make sure it
is completely fenced, that the fence is locked, and that there
is no access from the home to the pool. Don't let your child
or a neighbor's child get into the pool when you're not there.(top)
Learn
to swim and consider participating
in a
junior lifeguard program.
Visit Hoag Hospital's Project Wipeout website for beach safety video clips and free educational downloads.
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