Headed to the beach in SLO County? Follow these tips to keep your family safe
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Trained swimming, life jackets and supervision reduce ocean drowning risks.
- Sunscreen, shade and rash guards protect children from harmful UV exposure.
- Avoid polluted water and limit sand digging depth to prevent serious injuries.
Summer has officially arrived in San Luis Obispo County.
With most kids out of school, beaches are flooded with families looking to cool off.
A beach day can be a blast full of sand castles and swimming, but risks can come in the form of rip currents, gnarly sunburns and even deep sand holes.
Here’s how to keep kids and grownups while enjoying SLO County beaches:
Safety tips for swimming in the ocean
Before getting in the water, parents and guardians should make sure that every member of their family knows how to swim, according to the American Red Cross.
This means children and adults should be able to get into the water, take breaths, stay afloat, change position, swim and exit the water safely.
If your child does not know how to swim, you should enact “layers of protection” to stop kids from accessing the water, the American Red Cross said.
If children enter in the water without knowing how to swim, parents should make sure they’re wearing life jackets and provide close supervision to prevent drowning, the nonprofit organize said.
According to the American Red Cross, kids who are competent swimmers still need to follow these tips when swimming in open water:
Always swim in a life-guarded area
Never swim alone
Stay within your fitness and swimming capabilities
Be aware of weather and water conditions, such as changing tides, fast-moving currents, marine life and sand drop-offs
Get out of the water if a weather or water warning is in effect
How to avoid a rip current on California coast
Rip currents are powerful channels of fast-moving water that flow away from the shore, according to the National Weather Service.
The narrow currents typically form “at breaks in sandbars, and also near structures, such as jetties and piers, as well as cliffs that jut into the water,” the weather service said.
To avoid rip currents, the American Red Cross advises families to check water conditions before entering the water.
“Are any warning flags up?” the nonprofit group said. “Ask a lifeguard about water conditions, beach conditions and potential hazards.”
Once in the water, children should stay at least 100 feet away from piers and jetties where permanent rip currents usually exist, the American Red Cross said.
What are ways to escape swift-moving water?
If you or your child gets caught in a rip current, there are actions you can take to survive the swift-moving water, the National Weather Service said.
Here are some survival tips from the weather agency and the American Red Cross:
- Relax and stay calm. Rip currents are strong but they don’t pull people under the water
- Do not swim against a rip current or try to swim directly to shore
Swim parallel to the shore until you get out of the rip current, then swim to shore
Tread water until you escape the rip current and then head to shore
If you or your child can’t make it to the beach, face the shore, wave and call for help
How to avoid sunburns at beaches
The sun’s strong rays can be extremely harmful, according to the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
“One or more blistering sunburns in childhood can more than double your chances of developing melanoma later on,” Dr. Minnelly Luu, a pediatric dermatologist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, said on the hospital’s website.
She said it’s critical that parents provide children with sun protection to avoid types of skin cancers in the future.
Luu recommended parents with babies under 6 months old be covered with protective clothing while out in the sun.
Sunscreen is not recommended for infants this young, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Parents with older children should choose any broad-spectrum sunscreen that filters out both UVA and UVB sun rays with a SPF of 30 or higher, the hospital said.
Sunscreen should not be applied if it has expired, the CDC said.
According to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, here are some safety tips on how to avoid sunburns at the beach:
- Slather on a thick layer of sunscreen when you go out in the sun and reapply often
- Put on sunscreen 20 to 30 minutes before your child will be in sunlight
- Reapply sunscreen at least every two hours
- Reapply every 45 minutes if your child is swimming
- Make sure to apply sunscreen to your kid’s nooks and crannies, such as ears, feet, back of the neck and the backs of knees
- If using a sunscreen spray, don’t spray above the neck and make sure your children don’t inhale the fumes
- Use a lip balm with SPF 15 or 30
Luu advised parents to not rely on sunscreen alone for sun protection.
Families should also use shade structures, wide-brimmed hats, sunglasses and long-sleeve clothing to minimize sun damage to childrens’ skin, especially between the hours of 10 a.m and 2 p.m., according to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
How do I keep my kids safe from germs at the beach?
Letting your child play in sand or swim at beaches with polluted water can cause illness, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The most harmful pathogens that end up in the ocean typically occur when polluted runoff drains into the sea after rainfall.
Untreated sewage that enters open water can also expose swimmers to dangerous pathogens, as well as trash and animal waste left on the beach, the EPA said.
“Children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are the most likely populations to develop illnesses or infections after coming into contact with polluted water, usually while swimming,” the EPA said on its website.
Consuming polluted water can lead to nausea, vomiting, stomachache, diarrhea or ear, eye, nose and throat infections.
While exposure to polluted water doesn’t tend to result in long-term health effects, the federal agency advised parents to take these precautions while at the beach:
- Look for signs that the beach may be closed or the water is not safe
- Pick swimming sites with good water circulation
- Do not swim at beaches where you can see discharge pipes
- Do not swim in the ocean after a heavy rainfall.
- Don’t swallow water that could have waterborne pathogens in it
- Keep open wounds out of the water
- Wash your hands after playing in sand
Is digging holes in the sand dangerous?
Allowing your child to dig deep holes in the sand at the beach can be deadly.
In February 2024, a 7-year-old girl died after being buried in the sand while digging a hole on a south Florida beach, The Associated Press reported at the time.
These types of incidents are not uncommon.
According to a 2007 study by Florida International University researchers, about three to five children die per year in the United States when digging a sand hole that suddenly collapses on top of them.
Health experts advise parents to never let children dig a hole deeper than 2 feet, or about knee height.
