It might look like a scene from Baywatch but swimming in the ocean holds numerous deadly dangers.
Summer is the perfect time for surfing and swimming outside-or anytime, for that matter, if you’re blessed to live in a place where each day is a cup full of sunshine.
Sure, if you live on an ocean beach or near one, you’re probably highly aware of the dangers that lurk beneath. If you don’t though and you only put on a sweater when the temperature dips into the mid twenties, you might be an ignorant fool.
All kidding aside, staying safe while you swim in the ocean can sometimes be tricky. You’ll probably go unharmed just like the millions of people who take a dip each year and live to tell the tale. But just to be on the safe side, here are 5 things that could be grabbing at your feet and how to stay clear.
1) Jellyfish
Most jellyfish aren’t something you want to share your space with. They’re important to have here on Earth but once you get close enough you could be stung. The box jellyfish is known as the most venomous creator in the world, and once you’re attacked by it, there’s often no going back.
This creature lives primarily in the coastal waters off Northern Australia and throughout the Indo-Pacific. It attacks your central nervous system, sending toxins rippling through your body that can cause almost instant heart failure.
2) Rip Currents
A rebel at heart, a rip current is a strong narrow channel of water that moves directly away from the shoreline. It can confuse swimmers causing panic and drowning.
It’s characterized by a noticeable break in the pattern of waves, a river of foam, and water that’s a different color from everything else. Unless you love floating out to sea without control, look for signs that warn swimmers, wherever you take a dip.
3) Sharks
Jaws isn’t totally an exaggerated fiction. It might not happen exactly as depicted but shark attacks can occur and you don’t really when they might take place.
One of the latest happened in San Diego, where a 29 year-old woman survived a brutal shark attack while swimming alongside her boyfriend, who was surfing.
Scared? Follow these tips form the Florida Museum at the University of Florida on avoiding a shark attack, to reduce your risk.
4) Super Bugs and Flesh Eating Bacteria
Being attacked by flesh eating bacteria is a real downer, especially while on vacation. It can be found on sandy beaches and in ocean water, and does its deed by infiltrating the body through an open wound, no matter how small. Sometimes you don’t even realize you have one.
The bacteria work by pleasantly releasing a toxin that destroys your muscle tissue.
In 2014, 97 people were hospitalized with the problem and about a quarter of them died, not bad seeing as some of the bacteria can be super bugs that no known antibiotics can treat.
How can you protect yourself? Don’t go swimming too early with a brand new tattoo, like this guy did, and avoid high-risk areas. Swimming in brackish water is a no-no, and open front Gulf beaches are a safer bet.
5) E. Coli
This stuff isn’t in the salty water of the ocean so much, but rather lurking in the sandy beaches. It’s bacteria that originates in the lower intestines of mammals and if it gets in your system, it’ll cause vomiting and diarrhea.
How can you stay safe? Wash your hands well before eating and don’t ingest the sand, (listening kids?).
Photo credits: Tropical studio/Bigstock; Dewald Kirsten/Bigstock;wrangel/Bigstock;GARDENPHOTO/Bigstock; Studio37/Bigstock
