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Beach Rules to Live By

With more things to enjoy and do than there are stars in the sky, the beach just may be the worldfs greatest playground. Whether relaxing in the warm sun or feeling the excitement of shredding cool waves, there is always something for everyone. The beach is the perfect place to get away for reflective time, or get together with family and friends for a fun-filled beach party. Every playground has ground rules to assure everyonefs maximum safety and enjoyment.

Here are five popular beach activities and beach rules that will help make beach going a safer and hopefully more enriching experience for all.

1. Sun Tanning: Like a lizard laying on a warm rock people love to lie in the sun. Bathing in sunlight feels good. Sunshine provides valuable vitamins necessary for a healthy and vibrant life. Many past cultures including the ancient Incas of Peru worshiped and respected the burning sun. Todayfs sun worshipers respect the very same sun by following a few simple rules to protect and preserve their skin for many sunny days to come.
Experienced sun worshippers avoid tanning between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when skin-damaging ultra violet rays are most intense. The best time to work on a tan is in the early morning hours between 7 and 10 am, or, early evening hours between 3 and 6 p.m. Always make sure to drink plenty of water when lying in the sun. Know when youfve had enough sun exposure, and get out before being sunburned. Use a light sunscreen to help block out harmful rays. Sun damage is accumulative, thus limiting sun exposure is the best way to keep skin healthy. Just like the early Incans?have respect for the sun.

2. Beach Combing. Primitive mans quest for food and fortune was divided two ways, hunting and gathering. Those who could not hunt or gather food didnft survive. Hunting and gathering is the embryo of all human intelligence. In the past beach combers helped to define a culture that was both romantic and enchanting. Former United States president John F Kennedy was known to reflect during long walks along the seashore while taking in the ocean sights and sounds. Going on a shell hunt, looking for special rocks and other assorted beach treasures is healthy for the body good for the mind and joyful for the spirit.
Primitive man hunted different shells for food and sometimes used shells for currency. Imagine the excitement an earlier time when a hungry native found a sizable mollusk. More than likely, he cracked it open with a rock consuming a delightful lunch right on the spot. In todayfs world it can be equally exciting to find a beautiful, nice color well shaped shell. A good rule is to look inside a shell and see if anything is living in there. Not so much to eat it but to protect it by putting it back. Primitive people looking for shells didnft have to be concerned about broken glass on the beach but they did have to be careful about submerged rocks and other unseen hard objects. If you are barefoot on the shore, beach rules state, always watch where you step and if you see broken glass, please pick it up.

3. Sand Castle Building: Bring a bucket and small shovel to the beach and anyone from two to 92 can be entertained for hours. Building castles out of sand is relaxing, creative and fun. Sand sculpting helps people to develop imagination and expand cognitive thinking skills. Sand is an artistfs dream, it doesnft cost to use and there is plenty of it. For those less interested in architecture or art there are always sand angles to be made, tunnels to be dug and friends to be buried.
Inevitably, whenever two or more sandcastle builders get together sooner or later someone will start throwing sand. While seeming harmless and playful, eye injuries have occurred from sand fighting. The beach rule here is never throw sand at another person even if itfs just horsing around. To help keep the beach safe for others any deep holes should be filled up before leaving. Filling up sand holes can prevent unsuspecting shell hunters or passing joggers from twisting an ankle were they to accidentally step in it.

4. Free diving: Diving unencumbered with out air tanks is often called free diving and rates high on the scale of things to do at the beach. Exploring the silent and mysterious underwater world with a mask and snorkel is like going to another planet. One doesnft have to go out far or deep to begin seeing all kinds of interesting and amazing sea life. Diving underwater builds confidence, develops water skills and helps participants foster real appreciation for life and breath. Expert divers can go hundreds of feet deep on a single breath, for most people five feet is deep enough. Free diving is aptly named.
Free diving beach rules for safety start with common sense. Only dive on an empty stomach, half full at most. Not only will you be able to move around easier you will also incur the benefit of deeper breaths enabling longer dives. Always use a floatation device attached to a line so others know a diver is in the water. Lifeguards buzzing by on jet skis canft see a surfacing diver with out a buoy to alert them. One beach rule every free diver should follow is to go slow. Be cautious of doing to many dives to quickly or a dangerous condition known as shallow water black out could occur. Never push it, with free diving, always take it slow.

5. Water Play: Almost everyone who goes to the beach will want to touch the ocean even if itfs just to wade knee-deep to feel the refreshing water and waves. Swimmers, paddlers, body surfers, body boarders and surfers all take advantage of the rushing waves and exhilarating free rides found only in nature. Regardless of how one chooses to enjoy the surf all will benefit. Moving water produces high levels of negative ions, which promote positive health and lasting vigor. Playing in the waves is good for the body and great for the soul.
Whether walking out to the waves or wading out just past the shore the stingray shuffle is a rule that should always be followed. Stingrays sometimes frequent very close to shore in as little as five feet from shore in very shallow water. Sliding the feet, slowly kicking up the sand as one walks, greatly reduces the chances of getting stung by a ray.

Two other good beach rules are, when in doubt donft paddle out, and if you cannot make it past the white water, you donft belong further out. Weak or younger swimmers should only go to areas that have lifeguard presence. Take note: 25% of drowning occurs in guarded areas so the rule here is weak, swimmers shouldn'tft go past where they cannot touch the bottom.

Like castles in the sand our lives are washed away by the advancing tide of time. So make the best of your time at the beach by knowing, respecting and following beach rules for maximum fun and safety at the worldfs greatest playground the beach. Sea you in the surf.

The Willis Bros. are surfing experts recognized for surfing the worlds largest waves and teaching thousands in Hawaii and California to surf.

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