BEACH BUMMERS BE GONE

Most people bank a big batch of positive memories over the course of a day at the beach in Carpinteria. For the rare few, however, a beach day can be a bummer. Carpinteria Magazine has some advice to help you avoid turning a good day bad.

Stingray Stings

These boneless bottom feeders are often just minding their own business vacuuming up worms and mollusks in the sand when a human foot plants itself on their back. The stingray’s natural defense is to whip its tail up to strike a threat with a serrated barb. The barb is sheathed in venom, which enters the victim’s skin when struck. It can really hurt— really, really hurt—even though it rarely causes issues beyond prolonged pain.

WHAT CAN I DO TO AVOID GETTING STUNG?

Simple, do the “stingray shuffle.” Keep your feet flat on the sand and shuffle them along. If you bump into a ray while doing the stingray shuffle, it will most likely swim away quickly.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I GET STUNG?

If you’re at a beach with lifeguards, go check in with the experts. Most stings are on the foot or lower leg, and lifeguards will likely provide you with very hot water to soak the wound. This technique is commonly used to reduce the pain brought about by the sting. It may also be necessary to gently irrigate the wound with salt water to remove any fragments of the barb lodged in the skin.

SUNBURN

This beach bummer is even sneakier than a stingray. You’re having the best time ever, and then you get home and discover that you missed an important patch of skin with your sunscreen or you failed to take the sun seriously and never screened up at all. Sunburns can be extremely painful, and repeated sunburns increase skin cancer risk over time.

WHAT CAN I DO TO AVOID SUNBURN?

Fortunately, this beach disaster is pretty easy to avoid. Wearing a hat, relaxing under an umbrella and generally staying covered up is the best defense. Long-sleeved rashguards and wetsuits help to keep the sun off of people who are in and out of the water while playing at the beach. And, of course, there’s sunscreen, which should be applied before you get to the beach and every couple of hours thereafter—particularly if you’re in and out of the ocean.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I GET A SUNBURN?

There are several ways to soothe a sunburn. Aloe vera gel helps to soothe and heal damaged skin, and Carpinteria has lots of aloe growing around town. If you have some available to you, just cut off a leaf, peel back the thin skin and smear the sticky, clear gel on red patches of skin. Cold showers also offer relief. It’s also important to stay out of the sun while your burn heals and to resist the urge to scratch sunburns to avoid further damage to skin.

AMY LYNN ESPINA STANFIELD JARMIE