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Beach vacations are exciting, but they do come with certain risks that beachgoers must watch out for.
It’s especially important when you’re far away from home, in a place like Cancun, because dealing with an emergency in another country has its own problems.
Cancun officials just issued important safety reminders for tourists visiting the destination’s beaches, and it’s crucial to follow their recommendations to stay safe.
Read on to find out what the reminders are about and what safety officials’ recommendations are for staying safe on Cancun’s beaches.
Swim In Designated Areas
Not every place with water is meant for swimming, and swimming should only be done in those areas specially designated for swimming.
Keep an eye out for signage indicating whether or not swimming is prohibited in any given area.
Other beachgoers swimming in the area is also a good indication that swimming is allowed.
Choose Areas With A Lifeguard
Another way to tell if swimming is allowed is if there is a lifeguard present on the beach.
Cancun staffs lifeguards on all of the popular swimmable beaches along the Hotel Zone.
Swimming on a beach with a lifeguard enhances your safety too, because if there is an emergency, help will be close by.
Look For Beach Warning Flags
Beach warning flags are perhaps the best indicator of all as to whether a beach is safe for swimming or not.
Conditions at each individual beach are constantly changing and these flags indicate the current conditions at any given time.
A green flag indicates that a beach is safe for swimming, and a yellow flag indicates that you can swim but should exercise caution.
A red flag means that swimming is not currently allowed, while a black flag means that nobody should be on the beach at all.
A white flag indicates that dangerous marine life could be present.
Avoid Consumption Of Alcohol
Drinking alcohol before swimming can be dangerous for a couple of reasons.
One is that it can make you tired and make swimming more difficult.
Another is that it can slow your reaction time if an emergency situation does occur.
It’s better to play it safe and have drinks after swimming.
Know How To Handle Rip Currents
One of the biggest dangers at any beach is the danger of rip currents, which can pull you out to sea if they catch you off guard.
Knowing how to handle them can save your life.
The main thing is to stay calm and not fight the current.
It’s important to swim parallel to the shore, too, and to float if you start to get tired.
Where A Life Jacket On Boats
Even if you’re an excellent swimmer, it’s important to wear a life jacket when you’re on any type of boat.
Accidents can happen that can incapacitate you to the point where you can’t swim, and a life jacket might be what saves you.
Even if you’re told you don’t have to wear a life jacket, you should anyway, for your own safety.
Cancun’s Monitoring Of The Beaches
As mentioned above, Cancun does put lifeguards on pretty much all of the destination’s most popular beaches.
Altogether, they employ a total of 28 lifeguards who work for either Civil Protection or the Fire Department, that monitor beaches frequented by tourists and locals.
Despite there being lifeguards on the beaches to handle emergencies, though, beachgoers should do everything possible to maintain their own safety as well.
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