These areas are essentially dedicated surfing areas. The conditions are ripe for surfing and the flag signifies non-surfers to stay out of the area, to keep both surfers and beachgoers safe. Avoid swimming in watercraft areas if at all possible. BLACK AND WHITE (OR QUARTERED) FLAG A black and white beach flag.Ī black and white area is designated for watercraft, rather than for swimming. Sure, they may be a bit more crowded, but there's nothing more important than your safety at the beach. If available at your beach, we always recommend swimming within red over yellow flag areas. A red over yellow flag signifies a recommended swimming area that has lifeguard supervision. In fact, this flag represents something to enhance your safety at the beach. Unlike the other flags, the red over yellow flag does not mean something is inherently dangerous. RED OVER YELLOW FLAG A red over yellow lifeguard flag. A dangerous jellyfish sting can be fatal. Once again, we strongly recommend against going into purple flag conditions. We always recommend talking to your lifeguard before entering, as the type of marine pest could vary from bioluminescent algae all the way up to a Box Jellyfish. If a purple flag is present, there could be some very dangerous jellyfish in the waters. Once again with purple flags, it's swim at your own risk. This flag means that there's marine pests present.Ī marine pest could be a variety of things - a few that come to mind are algae, jellyfish, or even sharks. You may not have heard of a purple flag before. Like with any beach day however, still exercise caution and supervise children. Provided there's no presence of other flag types, this means it's safe to use surfboards, bodyboards, and any other type of watersports gear - just be safe with other riders and beachgoers. This means it's a nice, safe day to enjoy at the beach! Very much the opposite of a red over red flag, the green flag indicates the presence of calm surf conditions. We strongly advise against going into waters in these conditions.Īvoid going into surf conditions with double red flags at all costs. This flag type is reserved for some of the most dangerous surf conditions. The ILSA describes a red flag over another red flag as " extremely high hazard. The red flag indicates what the ILSA describes as a "High hazard." RED FLAG OVER RED FLAG Ultimately, this flag indicates that you should only swim at your own risk, and even then, take extreme caution when doing so. You should not enter the ocean in red flag conditions unless you are a very good swimmer.ĭo not enter the water with children, and always swim with a buddy if you absolutely have to go out in red flag conditions. This could be due to the presence of big waves, strong rip currents, or other dangerous conditions. RED FLAGĪ red flag indicates that the surf is extremely dangerous. It's recommended that you take precautions before swimming in a yellow flag environment. Yellow flags are generally the most common type of flag seen. In yellow flag conditions (or really any surf conditions), we recommend adult supervision at all times.Īdditionally, if you're taking your kids out in the water, always wear life vests. This could mean it's a rough day out in the waves, there's large waves, or there may be a small rip current. The yellow flag means that the surf presents a medium hazard. Let's jump right into the types of flags, and then note some additional beach safety guidelines and signs. So luckily, it's quite standardized - there's only a few flags to remember! Being aware of the flag types will help you be safe in the surf, and plan accordingly.īeach safety flags are mandated by the United States Lifesaving Association and the International Life Saving Federation (for specific guidelines, you can check this link out). It's extremely important to know the types of flags before heading to the beach. In this guide, we're going to dive into the various types of beach warning flags. But what do these beach warning flags all mean? They have different patterns of green, yellow, red, and sometimes even purple. You've probably noticed them at a day at the beach: flags outside near the surf, often near lifeguard towers.
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