Prepare for your trip to the beach and take warm clothes. When you arrive, stop, smell the salty air and watch how the ocean is in perpetual motion.

• Use the boardwalk to protect the dune vegetation.
• Read warning signs and obey them.
• Leave your belongings above the high water drift line.
• Swim between the safety flags where the waves are breaking in a smooth line.
• Choose a safe place to fish and avoid being trapped by the tide or washed off the rocks.
• Make sure you will not be blown out to sea on a lilo.
• Avoid rip currents where the waves are broken and choppy.

Don''t forget to wear sunscreen. Wear a hat and cover up to protect your skin. Harmful rays in the sun can cause cancer.

If you are carried out in a current, swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the current and can surf in.

Always face the waves and be alert. Most waves are formed by wind blowing out over the sea surface but big waves are made by the wake of passing ships.