Everyone loves a good day at the beach, right? Celebrate your affinity for the coast on August 30, National Beach Day. Started in 2014, this holiday raises awareness of the beauty of beaches while also promoting the importance of keeping them clean and safe.
Here’s how you can help: after enjoying the beach, leave nothing behind. Keep animals from getting trapped or tangled in trash, on land and in the water. So, swim, dive, surf, and take in the world’s aquatic playgrounds. Just remember to do your part to protect one of our most cherished natural resources — our beaches.
- 18th Century – Beaches became popular as tourist attractions during the 18th century. People believed seawater had healing properties. Doctors prescribed “sea bathing” as a remedy for ailments, giving rise to coastal tourism.
- 1929 – The Knights of Columbus, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, launched a National Beach Day as part of their convention plans. However, it never took root.
- 1948 – The Clean Water Act sets water quality and pollution control standards to keep America’s waters clean, including its beaches.
- 1951 – The Nature Conservancy. Since 1951, this group has been protecting natural places, including beaches and waters.
- 1973 – The Coastal Zone Management Act. This act aims to “preserve, protect, develop, and where possible, to restore or enhance the resources of the nation’s coastal zone.”
- 1992 – A cargo ship spilled 28,000 rubber ducks into the ocean. They washed up on shores worldwide, helping scientists track ocean currents. This quirky event became known as “The Friendly Floatees Incident.”
- 2000 – The BEACH Act requires the EPA to develop criteria for testing, monitoring, and notifying the public of possible coastal recreation water problems.
- 2014 – Colleen Paige, pet and family lifestyle expert, created National Beach Day to celebrate beaches and the importance of keeping them clean
- 2021 – According to the Guinness World Records, the tallest sandcastle measured 21.16 m (69 ft 5 in), and was made by Skulpturparken Blokhus (Denmark), in Blokhus, Denmark, on 2 July 2021. You can view a video here
- The light rays of the sun reflect off the ocean water, making it even more intense for your skin. As you spend the day outside, you’re exposing yourself to lots of UV (ultraviolet) rays. Protect your skin by applying some sunscreen. Not only will you ward off sunburns and stings, but you’ll help shield your skin from premature aging.
- The ocean covers 71% of the Earth’s surface.
- More than twice the number of people visit America’s coasts and beaches than visit all state and national parks combined.
- The proportion of people who go to the beach who can’t swim is roughly 1 out of 3
- Polls reveal that at least 44% of all Americans were planning a beach vacation.
- Acts as a natural stress reliever. Victorian doctors prescribed their patients visit to the coast instead of medicine. Now, even new research suggests that a beachside trip is a natural stress reliever.
- The landscape of a beach is in a constant state of flux, making it an exciting and ever-changing place to explore. Factors such as tides, wind, and erosion play a role in shaping and reshaping the beach over time.
- The continuous movement of waves results in the deposition and removal of sand, known as longshore drift, creating new formations and altering existing ones. This ongoing cycle ensures that no two beach visits are ever quite the same.
- Beaches are home to a diverse and fascinating array of marine life. The underwater region near beaches teems with rich biodiversity. Turtles and Coral reefs are just a couple of examples that adorn the harbor wall and the world behind that.
- Coral reefs, a colorful ecosystem, produce their own ecosystem. This captivating fact alone is enough to ignite a sense of wonder and curiosity, making you crave a beach getaway like never before.
- Coral produces a compound called mycosporine-like amino acids, which act as natural sunscreens, absorbing harmful UV rays.
- Though sea glass hunting is one of the common facts about the beaches, you might be amazed to know the true magnificence of these pieces. These smooth, frosted shards of glass are a remnant of discarded bottles, jars, and other glass items that have been polished by the waves over time.
- If you’ve ever experienced minor skin irritations such as cuts, insect bites, or rashes, the beach has a natural remedy in the form of salt water. The saline solution of the ocean can help cleanse and soothe these irritations, promoting faster healing.
- Some beaches shine at night due to bioluminescence, caused by microorganisms like plankton. Vaadhoo Beach in the Maldives is a striking example.
- Pink sand comes from coral fragments, like on Bermuda’s Horseshoe Bay.
- Black sand forms from volcanic activity, as seen in Hawaii’s Punalu’u Beach.
- Singing sands? Some beaches produce a strange humming or squeaking sound when you walk on them. This phenomenon, known as “singing sands,” occurs due to the sand’s composition and movement. Such beaches exist in Nevada’s Sand Mountain and Qatar’s Khor Al Adaid.
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