By following Project Wipeout’s safety tips, you and your family can enjoy a fun and safe day at the beach.

• Learn to swim. If you can’t swim an overhead stroke for at least 15 minutes, you should not be in the ocean.
  
  
• Never swim alone. Always swim with a buddy, and swim near a lifeguard whenever possible.
  
  
• Stay out of the “surf zone” where the waves break at the shoreline. Waves are at their greatest force here, and even a small wave can lift you up and throw you headfirst into the sand.
  
  
• Never dive headfirst into the water from the beach, a surfboard, pier or jetty. Sandbars could lie just beneath the surface.
  
  
• Remember, you cannot determine the depth of the water by looking at the surface, whether you are standing at the shoreline, on a pier or jetty, or on a surfboard. Always check the depth of the water with your feet, not your head!
  
  
• If you are boogie boarding or bodysurfing, keep your arms out in front of you to protect your head and neck.
  
  
• When bodysurfing, swim at angle to the shore.
  
  
• If you get caught in a rip current, swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the current. Then swim at an angle away from the current toward the shore.
  
  
• Always apply sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 30, a half hour before going outdoors and reapply every two hours or more if you’re sweating or swimming.
  
  
• Keep children away from fire pits! Assume that every fire pit is hot, even if it is full of sand and there is no smoke. Hot coals may be hidden under the sand.
  
  
• Alcohol and drugs cloud your ability to make wise decisions, and that could be fatal!