Beach Etiquette

(In no particular order, but you really should read each one of them!)

Rule #1:

Don’t Litter! Who do you think will pick up what you leave behind? Ding. Ding. Ding. Probably no one. Then it ends up in the water and can potentially harm the sea life. Which brings us to number 2…

Rule #2:

Finding a pretty little starfish or a flawless sand dollar is exciting! Look at it. Admire it. But, let it be. They might not have eyes you can see or a voice you can hear, but they are living beings. They are basically helpless. Also, please don’t pick on, scare or chase the birds. While we’re talking about birds…

Rule #3:

Eat your own Cheetos or share them with a friend, but don’t feed the Seagulls! Just please don’t do it. Not only does it cause them to frequent the area, which can cause unsanitary conditions…IT IS NOT GOOD FOR THEM! They are not equipped to digest Cheetos or many other food items people seem to like to share with them. Play games instead...

Rule #4:

Playing games is part of beach fun. Just do it away from people trying to relax. Nobody wants a volleyball or Frisbee in the head! Also, watch where you are going! Which reminds me actually of #5 and #6…

Rule #5:

Face it…Digging holes at the beach, for some reason, is fun. With it though brings a responsibility. You gotta fill it back in! Don’t leave a six-foot-deep hole there unless you are in it.

Oh, and if you get into a six-foot deep hole, be sure you have a buddy there to help you get out. If you dig

a hole every day. You fill it in every day. You don’t want a kid, or a grown-up for that matter, walking along happy-go-lucky and falling in a hole that you left.

Here’s the other thing #4 reminded me of…

Rule #6:

Sand Dunes. The dunes serve as an important part of our eco-system! They are protected and it is against the law to walk on, run on, or to retrieve a football, that you overthrew, from the sand dunes. Please respect the “Stay off the Dunes” signs. You might find yourself slapped with a pretty hefty fine if you don’t. You don’t want that! You want to enjoy the beach. Others want to enjoy the beach, too! Try to remember…

Rule #7:

If you see a nice family under a tent or a couple in beach chairs with an umbrella and an ice chest, don’t plop down in front of them. They don’t want to look at the back of your head and why would you want them to? They want to enjoy the view, too, and they were there first. Also, don’t set up right next to them. Give them some breathing room. Give you some breathing room. Especially…

Rule #8:

If you smoke (luckily our building is smoke-free), sit away from the other beach goers and be aware of how the wind is blowing. In fact, this would be a great time to give it up altogether!

Rule #9:

While we're talking about wind direction, the same goes for suntan spray! Check to see if your going to be feeding someone a taste of coconut in a can before you use it. Even if they like coconut, they'd rather have it in a Piña Colada!

BONUS: ELEVATOR ETIQUETTE! If you are waiting to get on the elevator and the door opens and someone is there waiting to get off? They have the right of way. LET THEM OFF FIRST! That’s pretty much the whole book of elevator etiquette. Well except for…never mind, we’ll talk about luggage carts another time.

Now, go have a good time and be the one that everybody talks about and says “Wow, now that person really has good beach etiquette. And! How about that elevator etiquette?”