Dreaming of your next beach vacation? Before you pack up your beach bag, learn how you can help save the ocean during your visit so we can all enjoy it for years to come.
The beach is a happy place that we all long for during the harsh winter months. Feeling the warmth of the sun on our skin and the soft sand beneath our feet tends to relax us amidst the chaos of our everyday lives. Listening to the ocean waves crash against the shore and the sweet songs of Sandpipers and Seagulls helps set the tone of the day.
Enjoying the beach is a pastime that appeases both young and old. It’s a leisure that many people only get to enjoy once or a few times a year. They say, if you are lucky enough to live close to the beach, you are lucky enough!
So let’s do our part to make sure we are always fortunate to enjoy wonderful beach vacation memories for generations to come!
Here are some ways that you can help save the ocean while on vacation:
1. Leave the Glass Bottles at HOME
We ALL love finding sea glass on the shore but bringing glass to the beach poses a safety concern for you and your neighboring beachgoers. Just imagine building a sand castle with your kids or strolling along the beach barefoot and ending up getting a cut from a nearly invisible shard of glass – not fun! Pack reusable containers for your drinks and snacks instead!
2. Make the SWITCH from Single Use Plastic Products to Reusable Products
Single use disposable plastic bottles kill an estimated 1.1 million marine animals every year. Since these plastics tend to look like jellyfish in the water, they are often consumed by marine animals. These tiny particles of plastic (called microplastics) can cause fatal health issues if ingested. Sea animals, such as dolphins, whales, turtles, can also become entangled in these plastics and die from suffocation and starvation. Consider switching from plastic straws and disposable water bottles to reusable straws and containers when you are at home. Be sure to also refuse these plastic items when at restaurants or ordering to go!
3. ALWAYS Fill In Sandcastle Holes and Don’t Dig Deep at the Beach!
First and foremost, digging in the sand is incredibly dangerous and many visitors are unaware of how quickly the sand can move if the side walls of your hole collapse. This can leave a person trapped with no way to pull themselves out of being buried in the sand. While we all love to play in the sand and to make sandcastles, do not dig any holes that are deeper than the knee height of the shortest person in the group. This helps keep everyone safe in the event the sand were to suddenly collapse.
Should you choose to dig a hole at the beach or create uneven spaces, be sure to fill it all the way in before you leave. This helps keep unsuspecting beach walkers from falling into a hole and injuring themselves. It also protects the ocean habitat by preventing injury to sea turtles that are making their way to and from the ocean during nesting season.
4. Leave NO Trace, Only Footprints
You should always leave your spot at the beach exactly the way you found it upon arrival – or leave it in even BETTER shape! Take your belongings, beach furniture, and trash with you at the end of the day. Leaving any items on the beach is littering (even if you think “it is only being left overnight”). These items could end up washed away into the ocean and further polluting it or could interfere with sea turtles coming ashore for nesting.
5. DON’T Release Balloons in Commemoration
Balloon releases give us the sense that the balloon will float way up to the heaven’s in honor of our loved ones. In reality, that balloon will eventually pop and either fall on the ground or end up in our ocean causing harm to marine life like sea turtles who mistake the balloons for jellyfish. The Ocean Conservancy found that from 2008 to 2016, almost 300,000 balloons were found along U.S. beaches – that equates to 37,500 balloons released each year! Instead of a balloon release, consider planting a tree in commemoration or blowing out bubbles to float up to the sky for a similar effect but without the harm to wildlife.
6. LEARN About Marine Life + Get INVOLVED!
While you are in the area, visit the Ecological Marine Adventures touch tank to get hands-on experience with some of the marine life you are helping protect!
There are also several great organizations in our community that participate in beach clean up and protection initiatives, such as BEach Clean, Coastal Cleanup of Topsail Island, and Ocean Friendly Establishment, to name a few. Visit Ocean Conservancy to find a local cleanup event near you (yes, even in mainland areas)!
You can even help out by simply picking up any trash you find during your beach walk to properly dispose of later!
Now that you are ready to do your part to protect and save the ocean, start planning your next Topsail Island beach vacation by browsing through our great selection of vacation rentals!
See you at the beach! xoxo
