First of all don't forget to pack all these beach necessity a first aid kit with medications for a variety of emergency prescriptions and devices like inhalers or EpiPen. Sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 coolers with ice plenty of bottled water and drinks food at least sandwiches cookies trail mix fruit or crackers. Now in case of an emergency you'll have everything you need to pull through it especially if there is a Cokie emergency Hey it happens let's get down to some specific dangers you might run swim into on your seaside getaway.
What to do if you spotted a shark.
Well first and foremost don't panic I know easier said than done but maybe this surprising tidbit will calm your nerves these predators bad rap is a bit unsubstantiated in fact only a few people a year on the whole planet Kerr killed by sharks this means that statistically you have more chances of drowning somewhere near the beach or even being struck by lightning than becoming a victim of a shark attack nevertheless knowing exactly what to do when meeting this carnivorous fish will lower your risk of being attacked or seriously injured.
1. Never go into the water if there's a posted warning on the beach be attentive read all the information around you and listen to what they say over the loudspeaker.
2. Don't swim at night or at dawn or dusk this is when sharks height so they're more aggressive than usual not to mention when it's dark out you have almost 0 visibility so it's pretty much impossible to see an approaching animal.
3. Swim only in clear and calm water this way you'll be able to spot danger from far away remember the charts can rely on other senses besides vision well you have only your eyes to depend on.
4. And very importantly don't start singing the jaws theme song you know. You know like that anyway some sharks like to show off to the other sharks and by deterrence and well this just encourages them actually I just made all that up sharks can't sing also be careful what you wear sharks can negatively react to bright colors and shiny things because they look like the sharks usual prey of fission seals so don't look like a seal avoid wearing bright swimsuits especially LOL and colourful swimming fans because a shark might mistake you for its launch and before you get in the water take off all your shiny jewelry and accessories since these reflective and metallic things look just like shiny fish scales.
5. Don't splash or thrash around in the water too much in a short summary this sudden movement must be wounded defenseless animal again that's an easy meal for them avoid sudden movements when you're swimming under water too because it might seem like you're in distress or you might look like a seal.
6. If you've spotted a shark stay calm and concentrate on getting away and out of the water you need to do this quietly and quickly. Right.
7. Check for signs of aggression indicating that the animal is about to attack these include circling arching the back making sharp turns for lowering the dorsal fin if an attack seems inevitable take a defensive position. Now you might have heard that you should punch a shark in the nose to survive its attack although this is true not many people have enough courage or strength to do this especially under water in the extremely rare instance of a prolonged and deadly encounter all of these notes and study them thoroughly and then determine the best course of action.
Really if you take that much time you'll be the main course with a shark so do this instead try to put a solid object between you and the animal for example a diving mass or surfboard or maybe your body over there if there's nothing at hand the best way to secure a shark away is to scratch it its eyes are deals don't stop fighting this way the short will get the message that you're not worth all the trouble otherwise you can always refer the shark toward that other guy to eat as a substitute.
How to avoid a jellyfish sting.
Now if you take some preemptive measures you won't need to worry about jellyfish stings first of all choose an area where you can swim safely if you know that there are jellyfish around avoid that place.
Do also pay attention to warning signs and watch for purple flags that's the international sign that you'll most likely encounter jelly fish in the water if you see a jelly fish that washed ashore don't touch it even if the animal is in debt its tentacles are still poisonous and can stay the gift that keeps on giving.
After you've been stung by jellyfish get out of the water and stay call don't touch or scratch the place of the staying because there might still be some tentacles attached to your skin for some sea water not fresh water this is really important over the affected area and leave it don't dry it off with a towel or anything then or a generous amount of vinegar over the tentacles in your skin and let it sit for at least a half a minute if you can add some hot water to the vinegar after that scrape off the remaining tentacles with something plastic like a credit card to relieve the pain submerge the injured part of your body in warm water and about 110°F experts say the heat soon as the payment and deactivates the venom better than ice as for the whole P. on a jellyfish sting to gets in there so don't do that nobody wants to see that.
What to do if you've stepped on a sea urchin.
Stepping on a sea urchin while going for a nice relaxing swim in the salty water is extremely common and taken seriously ruin your vacation sincere engines are venomous and their stings require immediate treatment.
First off make sure you're not feeling any chest pain nausea or difficulty breathing if you are call emergency services and if not start by removing all the spots they make puncture wounds and usually get stuck in the skip use tweezers to pull them out especially if the ends of the spines are protruding if they're not you can use wax put it on the affected area wait for it to dry and pull it off it'll take the spines with it.
What to do when you've been pulled into a rip current.
Witness animals aren't the only thing you should be aware of during your relaxation at the beach there's one more thing that claims over 100 lives every year in the U. S. alone yep we're talking about rip currents they can occur at any beach with breaking waves the fast moving and narrow streams of water that can pull you away from the shore before going into the water check for any suspicious looking channels places with rip currents can be for me or or on the contrary quieter than others if you enter the water and feel a strong pool get out immediately as soon as the water gets up to your chest it'll be practically impossible to break free.
If you've still got caught by the current stay calm it won't pull you underwater and don't exhaust yourself trying to fight the current in most cases there no wider than 30 feet so if you start swimming parallel to the shore you'll manage to escape its goal another tip is to swim in the direction of the breaking waves they mark the borders of the rip current as soon as you get out of the current swim diagonally towards the shore this way you'll avoid getting caught in it again. Have you ever had emergencies at the beach how did you deal with them share your experiences and tips in the comments section below
