my credentials: grew up on an island, get stressed when landlocked, like shiny things and sing for a job.
1. listen to the local tide guides: if you think it looks a little rough out it probably is. if you arenāt taught properly how to get out of rip currents and havenāt done any survival swimming practice please be careful!!! some places may use different colour coded flags or there are life guards to tell you whatās up but if not itās not a bad opt to look online.
2. leave your bathroom towels at home: canga all the way. thereās a lot of advantages of bringing a canga rather than a towel to the beach (canga being like a thin large piece of fabric). firstly, it picks up way way way less sand than a regular beach towel and it also is thinner and easier to bring around. it also is usually at least double the size of a standard towel so you can share with a friend or use it to keep your items safe from sand.
3. keep your devices safe: use a ziplock bag for your phone and headphones and all that because thereās nothing worse than ur phone not charging because thereās a grain of sand in the charging port.
4. everything shower?: its a known fact that the ocean will make you prettier. hereās what i do to ensure thatās the case: exfoliation and rehydration. the natures body scrub is at your disposal so use it. nothing better than feeling your skin smooth after a day at the beach. another thing i do is after i get my hair wet in the ocean i bring some conditioner and put it in my hair and let it sit in my hair until i go home. honestly it is the best feeling. (results vary on how clean the water and sand is ofc)
5. beware of the wildlife: if you are at all at risk of swimming near the homes of physically superior creatures beware of what your wearing. although it pains me, sometimes we have to go function over fashion. wearing jewelry or beaded / shiny swimming costume is not wise in shark territory as they are quite literally the magpies of the ocean. i am sharks no. 1 fan but i donāt wanna get bitten by one so letās think critically.
6. media: beach days are big for listening to albums you havenāt got to and reading the rest of that book on your shelf. really try to connect to what you want to consume and be intentional about it. i usually come to the beach with a book, one or two albums downloaded, a notebook and pen. for inspo my recent beach album was islands by kajagoogo, and if you are really after a playlist iāve got them locked and loaded if wanted!
7. water water water; bring as big of a bottle of water as humanly possible. you will want it.
QUICK FIRE:
best sunscreen is P20 for legs and more sun tolerant areas. for the face it really depends on your skin type as many have spf in their daily routines but ensure itās 50 or above! (sidenote Hawaiian tropic and vacation are super cute brands but iām not 100% certain on effectiveness as i have less sensitive skin to sunburn and so on)
snacks: personally big on fruit at the beach, pomegranate seeds are great and nuts are good for keeping energy. i would also recommend checking out restaurants and stalls on / next to the beach to support the community and also not worry about the hassle of bringing the whole shebang to the beach. (results vary on how expensive the area is!)
when the partyās over and the sun is down itās not a bad opt to keep like an oversized menās shirt with you. 1st it will keep you warm. 2nd it doesnāt pick up sand. 3rd if you feel yourself getting red in the sun you can throw it on too.
when you get home try your best to ensure you wonāt catch a cold or anything! try get water out your ears and take a warm / hot shower and take it easy for the rest of the day. even though beach days are relaxing they are physically taxing at times.
when iām not listening to albums im listening to this playlist if you were strapped for choice:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0AnmMg2UCJX5JVP0TNNv5c?si=GmpbRoYsRimKzJJkqigwtA&pi=sGN9MOe9QqOyW
these are all my tips off the top of my head so i might keep editing with more. sorry if this was too lengthy! just glad to share on a topic i love š§š½āāļø