Mornin'! Happy August! Welcome! It's 69° in Wildwood NJ. The heatwave seems to have finally broken. Humidity's still up at 95% with a dewpoint of 67°. Winds are very blustery out of the N-NE at 20-25mph +gusting. It's gray. Cloud cover all over. No sunrise photo ops this morning. We're about to have a blustery, much cooler day down the shore. Expect cloud cover, 25% chance of rain, temps in the low-mid 70s with those Nor-easter (N-NE) winds at 20-30mph +gusting. Tonight... partly cloudy, temps in the mid-upper 60s (no typo), and NE (still blustery) winds at 15-25mph. Tomorrow... mostly sunny with a few passing clouds, temps in the upper-70s / low-80s (much lower humidity), and NE winds at 10-20mph (pack a bungee). Tomorrow night... clear, temps in the low-70s and E-NE winds at 10-15mph. Sunday... sunny, upper 70s and E-NE winds at 10-15mph. There's a "High Rip Current Risk" in effect until tomorrow night. This means "dangerous" rip currents along the coast. These currents can sweep even the best of swimmers from shore into deeper, unruly, out-of-control waters. Never swim alone and only near a lifeguard. If caught in a rip current... float, don't swim against the current, if able swim in the same direction as the shoreline and try and wave for help. Personally I'd recommend NOT going into the ocean during these rips.
High Tide: 1:59PM
Low Tide: 8:22PM
Ocean Temp: 79°
Sunrise: 6:00AM
Sunset: 8:10PM
UV Index: 3
Rip Current: High Risk (Life-Threatening posted until tomorrow night)
And those... Friday's Beach Tips and Beach Etiquette Techniques: for what it's worth as so much of my observation or my recommendations on how to have a pleasant beach day is not followed or given an ounce of thought. There's beach smarts and etiquette happening for sure but not as much as you'd think. On a regular basis, beach-goers never cease to amaze as they haven't got a clue how to make a pleasant, fun, but more importantly, a "considerate" beach day happen.
*Beach Stuff - what to pack... bottled water, a spray bottle of water for you never know what, a hat, footwear, towel, sunblock, insect repellent, first aid kit (I include a tiny bottle of vinegar for jelly fish stings), shade (umbrella, canopy of some type), a bungee cord to secure your umbrella for those windy days, something to read, sanitizing wipes, a small trash bag to collect any trash you accumulate. Oh... speaking of "bags" there are no free bags provided in grocery or convenient stores in New Jersey. Plastic bags are a big "no-no" here.
*When setting up your spot (campsite) at the beach, give those around you a little courtesy and be kind as to not to set up too close to them. It's always amazing to watch arriving folk completely unaware of their actions as they begin setting up their umbrella, blanket and chair only inches away from those folks already settled in and believe it or not, there's no one else yet at the beach except you. It often feels like new arrivals seek out others to sit close to. It happens more often than not and I have yet to figure out this strange phenomenon. There's an enormous amount of empty beach space for everybody yet settling down into a spot (too) close to someone seems to be more common than not. It's very weird.
*Know your "tide" times. You can always ask the lifeguard as they will know. If the tide is at its highest when you arrive, you can set up right at the water line. It takes 6 hours for the tide to go from High to Low and then turn around and begin to go from Low to High (12 hour total).
*Know your wind direction... if a "West" wind is on the forecast, you can count on the biting greenhead flies as they catch the Westerly "land" breezes and then come looking for you and are as hungry as mosquitoes. Always remember to pack that insect repellent along with sunscreen.
*Tips for setting up your umbrella: it's about that "wind direction" along with wind speed. On a windy day, take those extra steps to secure your umbrella. Umbrellas should be secured at least a foot into the beach sand. Sand screws or sand grabbers are great for securing umbrellas and even better if you dig a hole first before twisting that screw in and then packing it with sand. Also, a bungee cord attached to the umbrella then to your cooler or beach cart works wonders. It's not uncommon to see umbrellas launched by the winds and more often than not into unknowing folks who are about to be impaled by an airborne, out of control umbrella. And, while the entire family is in the ocean not realizing that their umbrella is 2 blocks away and the person safely retrieving it has no idea who the umbrella belongs to. Also, when opening your umbrella... face into the wind. For some reason, folks turn their back on the wind and open the umbrella. Thus... you now have an inside out, out of control parachute along with those gusts of wind on your hands.
*Beach Etiquette. Wildwood has soft, powdery sand. When you walk directly next to someone who's enjoying their beach visit, your kicked-up sand will almost certainly be tossed all over them; especially if it's breezy. Be conscientious of where you're walking. Teach your children these same courtesies at the beach. Explain that it's not okay to run or chase one another around someone else's blanket or chair. On a breezy day, you will be covered in a light coating of sand thanks to wind but even more so due to some of those thoughtless beach folk. Oh, the same goes for that Suntan lotion... when you use the "spray" sunscreen, be aware of where that spray your using is being directed by the wind and who's receiving coverage other than yourself. Here's an idea... spray with one hand as you cup the nozzle with the other applying as you deflect the spray from your neighbors eyes and mouth.
*If shaking out towels or blankets, be conscious of that wind direction and always shake away from those sitting nearby. Duh.
*Suggestion for those with babies or toddlers... do not plan your beach day without bringing a "pack-n-play" for them as I can assure you that your beach day will inevitably more enjoyable with those babes in their safe little mesh, private encampment as they're able to play, eat and sleep while you enjoy your day.
*Phone use... take it somewhere else. Talking loudly or working on your phone for all of us to share with you really sucks. Phone calls should be taken as far away from the people relaxing on the beach as possible. Go to the Dunes. Trust me, no one wants to hear your conversation; especially "on speaker".
*There is "no smoking" of any type on the beach. There's "no smoking" on the boardwalk. New Jersey has legalized Marijuana and you can smoke it privately on your property but not openly in public. The only Pot dispensaries are in North Cape May and West Cape May and none in Wildwood. Wildwood has yet to approve any selling of Pot.
*For the pooches, there are two dog parks right on the beach. At 24th at the Beach in North Wildwood and one in Wildwood between Glenwood and Maple on the Beach. The Glenwood Avenue dog beach has just been rated #1 dog park in the country! Dogs must always be on a leash when not in the dog parks. And, you can walk your dog on the beach when lifeguards are NOT at their posts and only then. No dog walking on the boardwalk at all.
*If you enjoy music on the beach... remember to pack your headphones. Believe it or not, the majority of beach folk would much rather listen to the sounds of the surf; not your choice of music blasting next to them from your Bluetooth speakers. Sorry... but it's something that happens all the time and it sucks.
*Feeding seagulls is a no-no. Eat and snack smartly. Using flailing hands when expressing oneself while holding lunch is a magnet for swooping gulls. Drop just one potato chip and you'll have seagull havoc. Eat conscientiously under your umbrella or chair canopy. Seagulls are vultures and are smart and endlessly eyeing beach goers eating habits. They're relentless in trying to find the opportune moment to swoop down and pluck lunch right out of your hand or mouth (seen it happen many times). They watch and wait and know. By the way, seagulls know "chip bags" and if you have an unsupervised beach bag with chip bags exposed, they'll think nothing of helping themselves to that bag and will share their newly acquired bag of potato chips with all the other gulls while you're in the ocean taking a dip.
*Playing ball, Frisbee, horseshoes, corn hole, kite-flying, ladder toss, spike ball, paddle ball, volley ball, Kan-jam, beach darts etc. shouldn't be played by the people sitting nearby. Play ball and games at the back of the beach away from where everyone is sitting (it's only common sense and respectful).
*Observe all posted signs and warnings... Beach closures due to weather, rip currents or storms, surfing only on "surfing" beaches, no alcohol or pot, no dogs or pets. If in doubt, just ask the lifeguards.
*Never leave trash on the beach. Better yet, pick up any that you may see whether it's yours or not. There are many, many trash and recycle containers on the beach and surrounding areas. You might as well use them rather than let all that trash drift off and fly into the ocean for the fish to eat or get tangled in. Remember... whatever the fish eat, we eat too. Plastic is an epidemic. Speaking of plastic... New Jersey no longer has plastic bags at stores and shops. It's now all about bringing your own (preferably reusable) bags when you shop to save the planet from those "fly-away" plastic ones.
*Lastly, be courteous and respectful. Courtesy is key. Be kind and considerate of all those enjoying this beautiful moment at the beach along with you. Teach your children how to do it. Keep the profanity at home, the music low and give everyone space. It's a lot of fun being at the beach. Let's enjoy together. Happy Beaching!
