Beach Safety - How to Stay Hydrated

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Butch Arbin: Hi! I am Captain Butch Arbin with the Ocean City, Maryland, Beach Patrol. We are talking about how to have a safe and enjoyable day at the beach. This clip is about water and your need to drink plenty of it while at the beach. When you have a day at the beach, you need to make sure that you are drinking plenty of water. Thrust is not a good indication of the body s need for water or hydration. If you are waiting to your thrust, that is already a sign that your body is becoming dehydrated. When you go to the beach, you need to make sure you bring plenty of water, keep it cold and make sure you drink plenty of it. Make sure people in your party take breaks from what they are doing and drink water, especially small children may not want to stop playing and drink water, you need to make water breaks party of your day.

Other drinks that are flavored may taste really good; however, the problem is that they are not absorbed in the body as quick as plain cold water, so plain cold water is the fastest thing, the fastest acting that you can put in your body. Two things you want to avoid are caffeinated beverages and alcohol. Both of these products increase the body s rate of dehydration and instead of helping the body remain hydrated, they lead to dehydration. So, alcohol and caffeinated beverages need to be avoided.

Whey your day at the beach and you start seeing some signs and symptoms of heat-related illness, you need to be aware what they are and seek the proper care or medical attention. The first problem is with heat-related injuries are heat cramps and heat exhaustion. In both cases, you may know the person is becoming weak and dizzy, they may be white pale, they may be cold to touch, clammy, and they just have a general nausea feeling about them. These are sings of heat exhaustion. If you see these signs, you need to get this person out of heat as soon as possible into a cool area and have them sip water. If you do not see improvement rapidly, you need to seek medical attention.

A far more serious problem is heatstroke. In the case of heatstroke, it s when the sweating mechanism of the body is completely shut down. The body no longer can cool itself. It does not sweat. Internal body temperatures rise above 105 degrees Fahrenheit. The body literally starts to bake. Most people with heatstroke end up dying, even though they may be conscious and talking to you when you first recognize the symptoms. If these occur, these people need to be cooled quickly. You need to be call #911 for immediate medical attention. The signs are they are bright red and hot to the touch and often are semiconscious and disoriented. These are the signs of heatstroke, which is a life-threatening emergency.

Again you need to remember, bring plenty of cold water with you to the beach, make sure you drink plenty of it, force everyone else in your party to drink water often and if you do that, you will have a safe and enjoyable day at the beach.

Our next clip talks about the use of an umbrella and how to properly install it into the beach.

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