By Patricia Lee, Destinites
In our locals’ Facebook group at Facebook.com/groups/Destinites, a topic of concern each summer has been that of people digging holes in the sand and not filling them back in before they leave the beach. This is not only dangerous in general, but also can mean death for our baby turtles. Many visitors do not know that turtle nests are in the dunes and when the eggs hatch, the babies head to the water. This means they have to cross a long area of beach sand to reach it. They are very tiny, so when they fall into these holes they cannot get out and thus, die there. Also, please take your belongings with you when you leave, because those, too, can serve to entangle the turtle babies, keeping them from reaching their water destination.
Another serious area of concern from locals is visitors not being mindful of the colored flags flying at the beach. Every year, lives are lost because of the red flags being ignored. Red flags mean that the water is not safe to swim in and usually mean there are rip currents present. You can drown very quickly and/or the person(s) trying to save you can drown. When you get to the beach, the first thing you should do is look around for the flag and take note of its color. Keep an eye on it, because conditions can change throughout the day. You will find signs at entrances to our beaches which give a description to each color. Please stop and read it. You may also find a chart with descriptions on our website, Destinites.com. Click the drop down menu and click the tab that says Beach Flags and Turtles.
Visitors are appreciated and locals want everyone to have a fun, safe trip. Please be aware of water conditions before you swim and help us keep our beaches without holes, without trash, and without your left behind belongings. Thank you so much!
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