Heading to the beach? Here’s what lifeguards want you to know
The beach is a magical place where treasured memories of fun in the sun and sand are made, and people are starting to flock to the beach to enjoy summer.
But it’s not all fun in the surf — there are important safety tips beachgoers should keep in mind, says Matt Smith, Prince Edward Island’s provincial lifeguard co-ordinator, who oversees operations at eight beaches and one indoor pool.
Smith started getting involved in the aquatics industry in 2011 and worked his way up the ranks, including working as a lifeguard and a supervisor before moving into his current position in 2018.
“I am generally just a lifeguard at heart,” said Smith, who offers some tips for beachgoers to keep safe while enjoying their day.
BASIC SAFETY TIPS
The most obvious tip is to swim where there is a lifeguard on duty.
“The lifesaving society puts out a drowning report every year and they do statistics on the emergencies that happen in the aquatic environment every year,” said Smith.
“The statistics show that lifeguards are crucial in preventing emergencies and water-related fatalities.”
All lifeguards are certified by the Life Saving Society, which are Canada’s experts in aquatic safety. He recommends talking with lifeguards and asking questions if needed.
“They are experts in the area. They know the ins and outs of their beach,” said Smith.
LEAVE FLOATABLES AT HOME
Although it may disappoint people, another safety tip is to not use floatables on the water, even though they are popular.
“They pose a big risk because it is a little unpredictable sometimes on what the wind directions are going to be,” said Smith.
“Our wind shifts directions frequently, so with any kind of offshore wind, there is the chance that someone on that floatable will be caught by that wind and pulled out to sea. There is no limitation on how far out to sea that wind can push you on the floatable.”
He explained that this is why they are not permitted on most beaches in Canada.
“For us, on P.E.I., this is one of the most common rescues that we do,” he said.
WHAT IS RIPTIDE?
One misconception Smith is clearing up is the vernacular used when talking about undertow and riptide — which is actually called a rip current.
An undertow is an undercurrent that is moving offshore when waves are approaching the shore. Although an undertow can pull a person under the surface, it won’t hold swimmers underwater for an extended period. About the furthest it will pull you is 20 metres away, he adds.
A rip current, however, is a strong, narrow current of water that moves directly away from shore and through the lines of breaking waves going out to sea. A rip current could pull a person as far as 300 metres and are more prevalent in Canada.
“We see a lot more lifeguards doing rescues and people getting caught in rip currents,” said Smith. “It doesn’t pull you under, it just pulls you along the surface out to sea.”
Rip currents form between two sandbars where deeper waves aren’t as big.
“For the layperson showing up to the beach not familiar with rip currents and ocean water, they see that and they think flat water is safe, but that is the most dangerous spot to be swimming at the beach,” he says.
Signs to watch for, Smith says, include water that looks darker in a section than other areas or if it looks like dirt or sand is being pulled into the ocean.
HOW TO REACT TO RIP CURRENTS
“If you do get caught in a rip current, the biggest thing is to stay calm,” said Smith. “If you can remain calm, take a second, tread water and catch your bearings — and don’t panic.”
Ride it out, he suggests.
The farther out you get, the less power the rip current has.
If a person is able to perform self-rescue, he recommends swimming towards crashing waves, parallel to the shore, to escape the rip current. Then head back to shore.
Swimming directly into a rip current won’t help you, he cautions.
“When people panic, they start swimming towards shore and a rip current can travel at upwards to three metres a second, (and) the average swimmer cannot swim anywhere close to that,” says Smith. “So, when someone is swimming to shore when they are caught in a rip current, they are swimming against a current that is moving faster than they are, so they are exhausting themselves and are not making any headway in their self-rescue.”
Because of the threat of rip currents, he says it’s safer to swim in front of waves than in that “flat part” of the water.
“The reason it looks flatter and safer is because where that rip current is, the water is deeper, so there isn’t an opportunity for the waves to get bigger as a wave comes in towards shore,” said Smith.
“The shallower the water is, the bigger the waves look until it breaks. And when there is a rip current, the rip current is in that deeper section in between two sandbars so the waves don’t build up in front of the sandbars.”
BEWARE OF TOO MUCH SUN
Another major safety tip to take into consideration for any beach day is heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
Heat exhaustion is when someone is too warm and dehydrated but it is not lifethreatening. Heatstroke — commonly and inaccurately called sunstroke — is when someone is severely dehydrated and hot and can often be life-threatening.
To combat this, he recommends drinking plenty of water — or products with electrolytes — while taking lots of rest periods and wearing a good quality sunscreen.
“For people who get heat exhaustion, it often sneaks up on them. They are enjoying their day at the beach, and the next thing they know, they have been there for three or four hours and they realize they haven’t eaten or drank any water and they haven’t taken a break in the shade and now they aren’t feeling well,” said Smith.
“Kids and the elderly often have a more difficult time regulating their body temperature than adolescents and adults do.”
To help keep track of time, Smith recommends setting a timer as a reminder to eat, drink, and take a break.
“The beach can be an amazing place to be. It can be a lot of fun and a lot of lifelong memories are made, but we always want to make sure everyone leaves the beach having the best experience possible,” he says. “And unfortunately, some of the time when these heat emergencies come up it does put a damper on the day.”