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by Corky Carroll  Every year at this time I offer this public service information for beach goers. This is aimed at those of you who might not be all that prepared for heading to the beach and could use some friendly and extremely helpful advice. For those of you who are veterans, or have read one of these pieces in the past, you can either flip over to Sports or better yet stay here and read it again, just in case. Maybe you are new to the area or just have never had much experience going to the beach. Now that the weather is getting warmer you are ready to start taking advantage of one of Orange Counties greatest assets, the beach. Here are some important things that you need to be aware of and pay strict attention to, for your own good. First off you need to prepare yourself for time in the sun and on the sand. Yes, this would mean the use of sunblock. No, sunblock does NOT keep you from getting that golden movie star tan that you are hoping for. You will get just as tan with it on as without, and even better because you won’t fry and you will actually be tan and not lobster red and suffering severe pain and agony. For it to work effectively you need to put in on at least 20 minutes before you go in the sun, it takes that long to sink in and take effect. If you wait until you get to the beach to put it on it is already too late and you will probably burn before it has a chance to protect you. Then you need to reapply it as often as you think about it, especially after going in the water. They say some of them are waterproof, but I can tell you that none of them really are. I put mine on before I leave my house, in the car before I get out of it and then again as soon as I get out of the surf. But sunblock is not all, take along a hat, sunglasses and anything else to keep you out of the direct sunlight. Umbrellas are great. The sun is not your best friend. And it’s also not only the sun, there is also the sand. Sand is like a zillion tiny little mirrors that reflect the sun, just like snow does. And it gets really hot with the mid-day and afternoon sun on it. Take something for your feet for the walk back to the car to keep from burning your feet. It can be like a frying pan and your feet turn into bacon, sizzling and bubbling up all over. It’s horrible. The water is reflective too, all that pretty afternoon glitter is there just to burn your eyes out of your head. Sunglasses are a MUST. You do not want to burn your eyes. I did mine when I was a kid and didn’t know any better. The result was a number of the most terrifying surgeries you can imagine.  100% Cotton by Corky Just think about it, your eyes have to be open when they operate on them. THAT right there ought to be enough to scare you into wearing sunglasses.
Also, you need to keep yourself hydrated. Take along plenty of water. Even better are things like Gator Aid that hydrate you even better than water. The sun will dehydrate you fast, as will cokes, coffee, and any kind of alcoholic beverages like beer. You have to counterbalance those things with hydrators. Dehydration will give you stomach cramps, diarrhea and can even cause a stroke. Not good. I also want to toss in to pay attention to the lifeguard signs. If there is heavy surf, stay away from it. In fact, even on small surf days it’s best to go into the water as close to a lifeguard tower as possible, better to be safe than sorry (as my mom drilled into me as a kid growing up on these beaches). It’s better to be safe than drowned. Oh yeah, and don’t pet sharks. Good luck and stay safe. If you have any other questions on this stuff, or any other surf/beach related issues, feel free to shoot me an email and I will be happy to help you all I can. [email protected].
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