Flying The Flags
When you visit one of our beautiful beaches if you anticipate entering the warm turquoise to emerald green waters you should scan for a colored flag that will tell you what the conditions are like.
This is not the flag of Libya, it is the flag that tells you that you probably aren’t going to drown if you are a reasonably competent swimmer. It is a great day to be on the beach.
This flag tells you that the surf is a bit choppy and you will probably want to stay out of the water unless you made it to the regionals in swimming at school.
If Michael Phelps doesn’t consider you a threat, and you haven’t won at least three Iron Man competitions, stay on the beach. This is associated with rip currents which will pull you away from shore. You can see the currents if you are paying attention as they are found in that really placid looking spot on the water away from all of the violent looking surf.
This is the “No Swimming” flag that is flown below the red flag. It tells you that you will probably drown if you enter the water, and the life guards don’t like their chances if they try to rescue you. Should you decide to enter the water, please swab your mouth with a Q-tip, and put the swab, your insurance card, next-of-kin contact information, and suicide note in a plastic bag on the beach. A recent, flattering photo for the newspaper to use would be nice, but don’t bother with finger prints, because DNA will be needed, depending on how long it takes to recover your body and how much of it is recovered.
This flag warns of the probability that there is dangerous marine life in the water. Normally it means one or more types of stinging jellyfish, but they would probably fly it for a Great White.
So far this weekend we have had red flag conditions across the northern Gulf Coast, with Walton also flying purple for jellyfish. What a great start to the summer season – gas up 25%, thunderstorms, rip currents, and jellyfish.
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beats wildfires. 😉
cookie jill´s last blog post..Have to drive down to La Crescenta
Down here they start about 5 miles in from the coast, but not much chance of them this year – everything is water logged and the Feds have been doing controlled burns every time they get a chance because of the hurricane debris in the pines.
Chicago, land of the 3 month summer, has cut back the number of hours swimming is allowed at the city’s beaches by 30% this summer. To save money on lifeguard pay, swimming is only allowed from 11am to 7pm.
Probably not the smartest idea the city has come up with to save money. You can’t legislate common sense, and people will swim earlier when it’s hot out. So I expect to see some “emergencies” that could have been avoided.
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Are they kidding? At 11am it is time to get out of the sun, and get back in the water after there’s a bit of a slant at 3pm. Kids are going to find the water regardless of what the city thinks, and they’ll do it on their own schedule. it’s still light at 7pm, so they’ll find something to do that most people won’t appreciate if you chase them out of the water.
Messing around in the water under supervision is a really good place for kids to be.
Messing around in the water under supervision is a really good place for kids to be.
truer words were never spoken. my brother and i were sent off on our bikes to the community swimming pool every summer day, where we spent hours on end, except for those days we were taken to the beach [and there were a lot of those].
speaking of the beach, went there last weekend for a picnic, and watched the few swimmers braving the rough surf. i’m no threat to michael phelps, but all those years spent in the water paid off a few years back when i turned out to be the closest swimmer to someone who got caught in a rip current. thank all the deities of your choice, they didn’t panic much], and i was able to get them out of the current and floated to shallow water.
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Messing about in the water teaches kids many useful times, how not to drown, why waterboarding is torture, and the utility of the towel.
Locals are well aware of rip currents and how to deal with them, but most of the space on the beach is taken up by people who think that the Gulf of Mexico is the same as a local swimming pool. That is obviously not true. It is salinated instead of chlorinated; there are also multiple species using it as a toilet bowl, not just humans; and it is a bit larger than most pools.
Red/yellow/green/no swimming, ok. But Blue? (that Is blue, isn’t it? LCD screens…) I would have no idea what that meant. I would think that it meant….it’s cold?
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It’s royal purple, and it means nasty critters in the water, usually stinging jellyfish. It isn’t very informative as there is no universal symbol or color for the condition.