Beach Patrol advises grads to play it safe during vacay

(June 9, 2023) Did you know that one of the most important skills a lifeguard uses is the scan? It is a skill they are taught, practice and use all day long. It literally becomes a part of who they are.

I have heard many guards say they cannot go on a beach even on a day off without scanning. During the day the surf rescue technicians, or SRTs, are constantly scanning their area and the water in front of them for signs of danger. Their area includes a 360-degree range around their stand not only in the front but also in the back to the dune line.

This is the time of the year when trouble could be buzzing behind their stands. It is what some fondly refer to as the “June Bugs”.

The trek to Ocean City to enjoy their new-found freedom is a tradition thousands of graduates participate in each year. Traditions have not changed. There is reason to celebrate, and you can be sure the newly graduated adolescents have arrived and will continue to arrive well into June.

Typical graduates are full of confidence and feel immune to any dangers. They sometimes allow the excitement of the atmosphere to impede their judgment just enough to get them into trouble.

When we get a warm sunny day, the water temperatures are inviting. If you add a town full of celebrating graduates to the mix, the lifeguards have their work cut out for them.

At no other time of year do we see more teenagers chase each other down the beach and into the ocean only to end up diving into shallow water.

The more experienced among them dive shallowly and usually do not suffer any consequences of this risky behavior. The less fortunate will spend the rest of their vacation trying to explain the scabs on their forehead and nose. The extremely unfortunate will not be able to run or dive, ever again.

This reality has occurred too many times. While Beach Patrol members respond to spinal injuries every year, none are more tragic than those that occur when young people are injured from

By Kristin Joson Contributing Writer See ALWAYS Page 30