Umbrella-related injury prompts OC Beach Patrol safety tips
A potential danger many beach-goers may be unaware of is flying umbrellas. It may be hard to believe since they're seen up and down the beach all summer long, but on Sunday this danger was placed in the Ocean City limelight.
"A sudden gust of wind dislodged a rental umbrella that had been abandoned. It blew along the beach from an east to west direction. There was a woman, a 46-year-old woman from Pennsylvania sitting in a chair and the wooden tip of the umbrella hit her in the left upper chest," says Ocean City Beach Patrol Caption Butch Arbin.
It's a tragic event that has quickly turned into a learning experience.
"It's an accident and it can happen at any time, especially when it's windy like this. The umbrellas can be flimsy as well, so you just have to be conscious and diligent to your responsibilities," explains one beach goer.
Capt. Arbin says any time anyone puts up an umbrella, the first thing to remember is that they're responsible for it. That means taking it down when you're leaving the beach or just closing it when no ones under it.
But the most important tip is learning how to properly place one in the sand.
"What we see people do is they'll get an umbrella and they'll stab it in the sand. First of all it doesn't go anywhere then you'll see them spinning it like a cork screw that doesn't work either."
The best way to properly put your umbrella in the sand is to rock it back and forth over and over again.
"We really want to get it to about 18 inches which is the length of a forearm. And when you finish rocking it you want it pointed into the wind so the wind is pushing it into the sand holding it in as opposed to being lifted out."
By putting your umbrella up right way and keeping an eye on it throughout the day, Capt. Arbin says unfortunate accidents can be avoided.
He recommends using wooden umbrellas over plastic ones. He says they're heavier and sturdier, which will keep them in the sand even on windy days.
Learning how to properly put up an umbrella isn't the only thing beach goers should know. One of the most important safety tips the OC Beach Patrol is trying to get out is that you need to keep your feet in the sand until a lifeguard is in the stand.
On windy days at the beach, rip currents can be extremely common and dangerous. Capt. Arbin says lifeguards make upwards of 100 rescues in a day from rip currents alone.
However, once the lifeguards leave for the day at 5:30 p.m. that's when he says things become increasingly scary.
"Those same rip currents that caused 100 rescues during the day still exist and we're not there to come get them. The worst thing somebody can do an untrained individual is try to intervene because very often when untrained individuals try to assist a rescue, we end up with two victims," explains Capt. Arbin.
He adds that it's worth your life to wait until the next morning before going in the water. Lifeguards are on the stand from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day.
