Each year at this time, I do what I like to think of as my personal public service column on how to survive going to the beach.
Summer is upon us, and I know that there are many of you who will be hitting the golden sands here on our beautiful Orange County beaches without being prepared for the realities that await you there.
I know for a fact that a huge percentage of you have no idea about how to protect yourselves from the very real and present dangers that await you the moment you set foot out of your car door and onto the beach. For those of you who know what you are doing or have read this same speech by me in past years, I would advise you to still keep reading, just in case I might mention something you forgot about.
Wear sunblock, and a lot of it. This seems obvious, but needs to be branded into your brains. Get the strongest sunblock known to man and apply it at least 20 minutes before you go into the sun.
Then reapply it often, and for sure each time you get out of the water.
Do not think that if you use sunblock you will not get tan, that is not true. You will get just as tan with SPF 5000 as without it, but you will not get toasted and go home looking like a lobster.
Take it from me, skin cancer is a real threat. I know, I have it and am in a constant war to keep it at bay. We did not have the knowledge, nor the available products to deal with this when I was a kid and I was burned all the time. Protect yourself.
The sun is a powerful force, both giving us life, as well as severely hurting us if overexposed. It takes more than just sunblock to remain safe. Make sure you have a good hat, good sunglasses and some sort of coverup to put on when you start to feel like you are getting a bit too much sun.
Sand and water reflect the sun like a zillion tiny mirrors and can really do damage to your skin and eyes in a very short time. Also, take something to put on your feet. The sand gets extremely hot as the day goes on and the trip back up the beach to the car could be a lot different than the trip down.
You do not want a case of dreaded “fried feet.” This sounds funny, but is not.
Take along water too. Being in the sun can dehydrate you quickly.
The result is very similar to feeling like you have stomach flu or food poisoning. Nausea, chills and all the other not-fun activities that require a bathroom and a lot of moaning and groaning. Extreme dehydration can cause a stroke.
Take water and drink it. Beer is not water and in fact works the opposite. If you are drinking beer, make sure you have one glass of water for every glass of beer. Same with soft drinks and coffee.
I, personally, drink tons of electrolytes, even if I am not going to the beach. If you have ever suffered dehydration, you learn quickly, once is more than enough.
A great idea for you newbies, and all of you who are not good swimmers and/or not used to being in the ocean, is to plant yourselves near a lifeguard tower and make sure that if you go in the water that you are in full view, just in case.
On a side note, here is something that I should mention. This year, the water has not been normal and has been having some adverse effects on some of the sea life. Seals and sea lions have become aggressive and should be avoided. They might look fun and friendly, but might not be. Another good reason to hang out in view of a lifeguard.
Ok, these are the bare basics just to get you thinking in the right mode. Be safe. I want you around reading me for a long time.