Interpreting the Signs

Not being a girl who grew up near the water, I find it disconcerting when trouping off to the beach and I see a flag or two flapping in the breeze. A feeling creaps over me, similar to the moment the eerie music comes on  and you think, "Don't open that door." Cause you know it can't be good.

So what do those flags mean? And what do I do about the meaning? Are they as predictable as a low-budget horror flick, traveling from beach to beach, seeing the same thing?

Well, grab another helping of  popcorn 'cause as it turns out, it is not complicated.

The Florida Coastal Management Program along with several other government organizations (Florida Beach Patrol Chiefs Association, the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA), and the International Life Saving Federation) has created a "uniform waving flag program for use by Florida’s beachfront communities." 

Thank goodness for that!

Seriously, imagine grabbing your board and showing up at one beach with red flags while your bud 10 minutes away flies orange flags...and the same conditionse? Hey, Don't open THAT door...confusing to say the least.

This beauty needs no warning system

According to FCMP, beaches now have "flags in four colors accompanied by interpretive signs along the beach to explain the meaning of each color."

Using the small key below, see if you can interpret the signs.

• Red flags with a no swimming symbol indicate that the water is closed to the public.
• Red flags without a symbol indicate a high hazard from surf and/or currents.
• Yellow flags indicate a medium hazard from moderate surf and/or currents.
• Green flags indicate a low hazard with calm conditions. Beachgoers should still exercise caution.
• Purple flags indicate a hazard from dangerous marine life. These flags are used in conjunction with another colored flag indicating the current surf/current conditions.

The flag pic above coordintates with this interpretive sign. So the purple sign for "dangerous marine life" warns of Jelly Fish. The green flag heralds a "low hazard." Look beyond the guard post or the sign and see the sea is pretty much flat. Now check out this one:

Not only are the waves much bigger but you can see that the flags are straight out due to plenty of wind. In this case, an inexperienced beach goer, like me, might want to stick to the sand and stay out of the water.

My final thought, imagine a stop light: green is go, yellow is caution, red is stop. That is pretty good advice for the beach...purple, you say? Check the interpretive signs to see what it refers to before splashing about. Above

Finally, always be alert, never go alone and just plain be smart when taking to the beach. Mother Nature can always throw a curve ball.

Until next time, Eli