A Guide to Beach Warning Flags
San Diego residents enjoy easy access to the beautiful Pacific Ocean, but beachgoers from anywhere in the United States should understand the safety features in place on the country’s public beaches. Lifeguards use several different colored flags to warn swimmers and beachgoers of potential hazards, so pay attention to the flags on your beach, and make good decisions about going in the water.
What Does the Green Flag Mean at the Beach?
A green flag on the beach indicates that the water is safe for swimming. Remember, lifeguards can’t predict how the ocean, weather, or wildlife may change at any given time. Swimmers should always use caution when entering the ocean, even if green flags are present. Most lifeguards will arrange flags into sets of two to indicate safe zones for swimming. However, every beach has unique rules, so be sure to familiarize yourself with the posted rules for your beach before swimming.
What Does the Yellow Flag Mean at the Beach?
Yellow flags tell beachgoers to use caution when entering the water. This could be due to strong currents, high waves, rip currents, or dangerous wildlife. Strong swimmers may fare just fine in strong currents, but it’s wise to stay close to shore and pay attention to the lifeguards on duty. Lifeguards may begin to call swimmers back to the beach should conditions worsen, so don’t risk stranding yourself and stay where you can manage your way back to shore safely.
What Does the Red Flag Mean at the Beach?
Red often indicates danger, and red flags on the beach designate clear and present hazards to swimmers’ safety. Red flags tell beachgoers to avoid the ocean due to rough seas, very strong currents, or underwater hazards. If you are still permitted to enter the ocean on your beach while a red flag is present, only do so if you are confident in your swimming ability. Most beaches use two flags to indicate that swimming is prohibited, while others will clearly indicate this with flags depicting the symbol of a swimmer crossed out.
What Does the Blue/Purple Flag Mean at the Beach?
These flags vary by region but generally indicate dangerous wildlife in the area. Animals like baitfish can attract large predators, while schools of dolphins, stingrays, or even pods of whales could hurt swimmers. Blue or purple flags often accompany green, yellow, or red flags that indicate the safety of water conditions and the severity of the wildlife presence.
Locally-Specific Flags
Some areas use special flags with specific meanings. For example, lifeguards who patrol a popular surfing beach may use a specific flag to warn beachgoers that surfing is dangerous at the moment. Other regions may use special flags to indicate water temperature or other issues. If you are unsure what a flag means, it’s best to ask a lifeguard for clarification.
Liability Issues
When citizens suffer injuries on public property, they sometimes seek compensation for their damages by suing the government agency responsible for the area in which they were injured. If you see warning flags on the beach but choose to swim anyway, you are essentially releasing the lifeguards from liability, should you suffer injuries. No matter what beach you visit, always heed the warning flags to prevent injury to yourself and your loved ones. If you have questions about beach policies or the meanings of regional flags, speak to one of the lifeguards in the area. If you’d like to discuss the legal options surrounding your beach injury, contact the Liljegren Law Group for a free consultation.