JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla — From the heat to water conditions to the crowds, First Coast News is on your side with tips to make sure your fourth of July beach week stays fun and safe.
A Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue captain says the 4th of July is a top holiday for children to get separated from their parents. He says sometimes over a dozen kids get lost, some for more than an hour.
Captain Rob Emahiser with Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue says you need to assign someone to watch the children in your group. He says if they go in the water, you need to go in the water and don't be on your phone.
"Definitely assign someone to watch the kids," Emahiser said. "That is something you don't usually think about at home or in a playground, kids don't get lost that much. Go on the beach, there's going to be a huge crowd, it'd be really easy to lose track of your kids."
Emahiser says it's a good idea to take a picture of your child in their swimsuit to show to authorities in case you get separated.
Emahiser says you also need to think about anyone older in your group. He says if there's an emergency and a grandparent needs to get out of the heat fast, keep in mind how far away you parked. There are now street signs at the entrances to the beach above the signs that show what each flag color means.
Pay attention to the color of the flag. A red flag means "high hazard" and a double red flag means the water is closed to the public. There was a double red flag over the weekend in Fernandina Beach and on Thursday six people were rescued from rip currents there.
The purple flag is for "marine life." Emahiser says one week in June, 10 to 20 people were stung by jellyfish on most days of that week.
Emahiser says remember to swim near a lifeguard. He says to stay away from the Jax Beach fishing pier because fireworks will be loaded there. However, he says it's a good idea to not swim there anyway because it's a fishing pier. He says there may be fish hooks in the water and there's always a rip current around the pier.
If you want to check the conditions at the beach, you can do so at Mote Marine Laboratory Beach Conditions Reporting System for Jacksonville Beach, Safe Beach Day for Nassau County, or the National Weather Service here.