The arrival of summer gives sun-enthusiasts everywhere the perfect excuse to pack their bags with towels and sun-lotion in preparation for a weekend trip to the beach. With clear blue skies and a blazing hot ball of summery goodness lighting up our days, it’s hard to see what could possibly go wrong, until it does. In the hopes that you can prepare yourself for some of them, here are some of the most common and worst things that can happen to you at the beach.
Accidentally falling asleep
For many people, catching an early afternoon snooze in the sunshine doesn’t seem like too much of a bad thing. As long as you’ve slathered yourself in sunscreen in order to avoid the more harmful of the sun’s rays then you should be okay, right? Wrong. There are various things that can happen if you fall asleep at the beach that may leave you wishing you had never bothered with your Summer outing. One main issue revolves around children. The beach is bound to be full of them, and sometimes they will find any excuse to be creative around an adult that has unsuspectingly nodded off for a couple of hours. Armed with a bucket and spade, these little rascals may decide to bury you up to your neck in warm, damp sand, meaning that you have to dig yourself free once you wake up to the comforting sound of children laughing at your misfortune. Children aren’t the only problem though, as you drift off to a sun-induced slumber, there may be some sneaky people patrolling the beach just waiting to nab your wallet or personal belongings, so make sure you keep your items safe when you’re enjoying the sea and sand.
Being Stung By a Jellyfish
Wading out into the shallows of the sea for a relaxing dip is one of the most alluring parts about summer trips to the beach. You’re just getting used to the sensation of the warm water covering your body, and then suddenly you’re stung by nature’s most vicious plastic bag, leaving you in pain unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. What’s worse, you can’t just drag yourself to the shore and cry over the agony that you’re in, instead you’ll be surrounded by dozens of people just desperate to get involved in your misfortune, a few with sympathetic noises, others happy to whip down their trunks in a moment’s notice to provide you with a sprinkling of well-known jellyfish sting cure. Make sure that you always watch your step when you’re out on the beach, and do your best to avoid having someone use you as a convenient urinal if you do end up getting stung.
Annoying Birds and Seagulls
No painting of the beach is quite complete without a couple of those squiggly black lines in the sky that are meant to look like seagulls flying off in the distance. Although birds are generally quite pretty to observe from a distance, swooping down near the waves and perching on top of the nearby rocks, they can begin to put a really dampener on your experience of the beach with a few unhappy encounters. All you need is for a couple of seagulls to gather around your chips, squawking obnoxiously and threatening you with an untoward splat of moisture on the top of your head for your day to be completely ruined.
Accidental Sunburn
If you ever venture out to the beach, even on a day that might seem overcast, without the slathering on the sun cream first, you need to be prepared to face the consequences of your actions. Even if you’re desperate to get a golden tan, refusing to give your skin the protection it needs isn’t the way to go about it, all you’re going to do is turn yourself as red as a lobster and end up with horrible skin later in life, like an old handbag. Make sure you always cover up before you settle down to enjoy the sunshine, as accidentally falling asleep and leaving yourself to bake in the toasty rays can really cause some serious damage.
