Beach Goers Research Articles

Preventing beach goers from drowning: analysis of geomorphological and human data to better understand factors leading to surf rescues

Preventing beach goers from drowning: analysis of geomorphological and human data to better understand factors leading to surf rescues

The Blue Flag Award in South Africa: Raising Consciences and Influencing Beach Goers’ Decisions

In recent years, the tourism sector has experienced significant expansion, with the beach ecosystem emerging as the most popular destination for recreational and leisure pursuits. The proliferation of marine tourism activities has resulted in undeniable ecological consequences, including but not limited to the generation of solid waste, noise and air pollution, unattractive landscapes, and degradation of the coastal biome. The Blue Flag certification has been widely embraced by several coastal municipalities as a means of addressing the adverse environmental consequences that arise from tourism and recreational activities. The objective of this research is to evaluate the perceptions and level of awareness of beach visitors regarding the Blue Flag award, as well as determine if their selection of a beach destination is influenced by the Blue Flag standards. The study employed a quantitative methodology and gathered data, using convenience sampling, from beach visitors at nine Blue Flag beaches located in KwaZulu-Natal. The data were collected through a structured, self-administered questionnaire. The findings suggest that there is a dearth of awareness among beach visitors regarding the Blue Flag certification and that certain criteria associated with the award have an impact on their selection of beaches. The study is expected to yield significant advantages in enhancing and strengthening the Blue Flag certification program within the country at large. Additionally, it will promote the necessity of public environmental education and awareness regarding the award.

Environmental perception of regular beach of Itaipu, Niterói, RJ, about the anthropogenic litter after awareness activities

Anthropogenic litter is a problem in the marine and coastal environment. Beaches are affected by the presence of litter on their sands. The large amount of litter discarded on beaches is possibly due to the actions of human. In this sense, the aim of this work is to introduce environmental awareness actions among beach goers in relation to the presence of litter in the sand strip to minimize the effects of this problem. This study evaluated the environmental perception of beachgoers at Itaipu, Niterói, RJ, Brazil, in relation to anthropogenic litter through awareness-raising activities. The questionnaire applied to assess the perception and collection of litter in the study area before and after an awareness activity realized to assess the behavior change. Although litter were found on both days, the results showed a significant difference in the values of Kg residues collected/person in the study area between the two days, showing the importance of carrying out environmental awareness activities in solid residues management processes in coastal.

Tourists' perception of beach litter and willingness to participate in beach clean-up

While tourists contribute to and suffer the consequences of beach litter, studies on beach clean-up exercises have mostly neglected them and overly focused on resident beach goers. Based on a sample of 685 international tourists in Ghana, this paper examines the perception of international tourists on beach litter and the determinants of their willingness to participate in beach clean-up as an experiential activity during their visits to Ghanaian beaches. The findings reveal that international tourists have negative perceptions of beach litter, constructed along four domains, namely health, recreational activity participation, aesthetic, and coastal environment. Further, sex, age, educational attainment, continent of origin, travel party status, environmental value, and perception of beach litter significantly influence the willingness of the tourists to participate in beach clean-ups. The implications of these findings in the context of beach litter management at coastal resorts and destinations are discussed.

Geohelminths in the soil of the Laguna dos Patos in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil.

This study aimed at examining the prevalence of eggs and larvae of parasites - that may cause diseases to humans and other animals - in the soil of public squares located on the shore of Laranjal beaches, in the Laguna dos Patos, in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Four fieldwork trips - one per season - were taken to collect samples on six squares built on the shore of these beaches. Five samples of soil were collected on every square on every fieldwork trip. The material was processed by Caldwell & Caldwell's technique. Four squares (66.7%) were positive for helminth eggs and sample positivity was 8.3% (10). Toxocara spp. and Ancylostoma spp. were the main genera found in these places. Even though prevalence was lower than the one observed by other studies which were carried out in the area, helminths with zoonotic potential were found in the soil of the squares. It should be highlighted that measures to control dogs in these areas must be implemented and public policies must be put forth to make pets' owners and beach goers aware of the need to mitigate environmental contamination.

The Beneficial Effects of Short-Term Exposure to Scuba Diving on Human Mental Health.

Exposure to outdoor blue spaces can help improve human health by reducing stress, promoting social relationships, and physical activity. While most studies have focused on the adverse health effects of scuba diving, very few have assessed its health benefits. Moreover, when scuba diving is done in large groups with no diving instructor or pre-dive briefing, negative environmental impacts are generated and negative impacts on human health may also occur due to overcrowding, which may create stress. This is the first study to evaluate the effects of scuba diving on divers’ mental health using their diving practices to estimate the impacts on the ecosystem. In the marine-protected area of Cap de Creus and adjacent areas, we assessed the mental health of 176 divers and 70 beach users (control group) by employing a 29-item version of Profile of Mood State (POMS) questionnaires. According to the parameters associated with reduced environmental impacts, two scuba diving experiences were established. Poisson regression models were performed to assess both the contribution of the activity and diving experiences to POMS scores. Both groups (scuba divers and beach goers) reduced their POMS scores after carrying out the activities. Although no significant differences were found between beach and scuba diving activities, nor between the two different scuba diving experiences, our results showed that subjects with regular medication intake due to a chronic or psychiatric illness had a POMS reduction score significantly higher than other subjects. We conclude that both beach and scuba diving activities have positive effects for human mental health, particularly among subjects with regular medication intake.

Molecular detection of antibiotic resistance and virulence gene determinants of Enterococcus species isolated from coastal water in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

ABSTRACT Enterococci are a group of significant disease-causing bacteria, which have developed resistance to several conventionally used antibiotics. Of the 67 confirmed Enterococcus species from Kidd’s Beach, 40 (59.7%) were E. faecium, 19 (28.4%) were E. faecalis. The highest level of resistance was observed against rifampicin (83.6%) followed by erythromycin (64.2%), tetracycline (52.2%), linezolid (46.3%), tetracycline (46.3%), and vancomycin (32.8%). Ninety-six per cent of the Enterococcus spp. was found to be multi-drug resistant. MAR indices vary from 0.3 to 0.9. Two virulence determinants (ace and gelE) were detected and six resistance determinants were identified as follows: ermB (19%), tetM (30%), tetL (19%), gyrA (13%), ampC (1.5%) and Van C2/3 (4.5%). The presence of enterococci (E. faecium and E. faecalis) in Kidd’s Beach waters harbouring virulence genes that facilitate multiple antibiotic resistance signifies a possible health threat for beach goers.

Untreated sewage contamination of beach sand from a leaking underground sewage system

Thirty people (mostly children) experienced an episode of skin rash days after a sand sifting beach operation at Porto Pim Beach in Faial, Azores during June 2019. An environmental and epidemiologic investigation was conducted to identify the cause of the outbreak of skin rash. The epidemiologic investigation found that some of the patients experiencing symptoms had never entered the beach water. During the pollution period and throughout the epidemiologic investigation, faecal indicator bacteria levels (94 CFU/100 ml for intestinal enterococci and 61 CFU/100 ml for Escherichia coli) in water remained under the limits used for the ninety-five percentile calculation of an Excellent coastal and transitional bathing water defined in the Portuguese Legislation (100 CFU/100 ml for intestinal enterococci and 250 CFU/100 ml for Escherichia coli). Thus sand contact was considered as a likely primary exposure route. Sand microbiological analysis for faecal indicator organisms and electron microscopy strongly suggested faecal contamination. Chemical analysis of the sand also revealed a concomitant substance compatible with sodium-hypochlorite as analysed using gas chromatography and subsequently confirmed by free chlorine analysis. Inspection of the toilet facilities and sewage disposal system revealed a leaking sewage distribution box. Collectively, results suggest that the cause of the outbreak was the leaking underground sewage distribution box that serviced the beach toilet facilities (40 m from beach), where sodium-hypochlorite was used for cleaning and disinfection. This sewage then contaminated the surficial sands to which beach goers were exposed. Chlorine being an irritant substance, was believed to have been the cause of the symptoms given the sudden presentation and dissipation of skin rashes. No gastro-intestinal illness was reported during this episode and during the following 30 days. Like water, beach sand should also be monitored for safety, especially for areas serviced by aged infrastructure.

Bathing Water Quality Forecast for Chennai Coastal Waters

Panda, U.S.; Pradhan, U.K.; Sujith Kumar, S.; Naik, S.; Begum, M.; Mishra, P., and Ramana Murthy, M.V., 2020. Bathing water quality forecast for Chennai coastal waters. In: Sheela Nair, L.; Prakash, T.N.; Padmalal, D., and Kumar Seelam, J. (eds.), Oceanic and Coastal Processes of the Indian Seas. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 89, pp. 111-117. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Risks associated with the non-compliance of bathing water quality have been increasing and becoming a challenge to maintain and manage the coastal waters. Especially, along the coastal cities, the complex nature of sources and their variation due to diverse urban runoff, industrial discharges, port activities and fluxes from different sources are deteriorating the coastal water quality which directly affects the health of beach goers, tourist, coastal communities. The Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 has classified the seawater, class-II criteria for bathing, contact water sports and commercial fishing for Indian coastal waters. Chennai, one of the largest coastal metropolitan cities with a population of 4.65 million, is a major industrial hub having unsafe coastal waters. It's water quality faces toxic and dangerous deterioration due to domestic and industrial wastes. This paper presents an integrated modelling and forecast system developed for Chennai coastal waters through data assimilation using in situ water quality data, deterministic hydrological, hydrodynamic and water quality models. The coupled hydrodynamic-water quality model with input from catchment hydrology solves transport and dispersion of pollutants along the flow pattern. Forcing parameters were downscaled from global models to input to the local domain. 5-day forecast of sea surface temperature (SST), salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD) and coliform are generated with confidence from validation. This predictive model and forecasting is helpful to beach managers and policy makers for better management.

Sunscreen use and awareness of chemical toxicity among beach goers in Hawaii prior to a ban on the sale of sunscreens containing ingredients found to be toxic to coral reef ecosystems

The state of Hawaii recently passed legislation banning the sale of sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate, two chemicals that have been documented to be harmful to coral reef ecosystems, beginning in 2021. However, little is currently known about the sunscreen use patterns of beach-goers in Hawaii. To gain more information about the potential effectiveness of the ban, we surveyed beach-goers to better understand: the prevalence of oxybenzone and octinoxate in sunscreens, the proportion of sunscreens that are purchased in Hawaii and out of state, what factors go into people's selection of sunscreens, awareness of the harmful effects these chemicals, and willingness to switch to “reef-safe” sunscreen alternatives. Slightly over half of sunscreens were purchased in the state of Hawaii, meaning that almost half of sunscreens being used will not be subject to the chemical ban. Approximately 75% of beach goers stated that they were aware of the harmful effects of some sunscreen chemicals, but nearly one-third still used sunscreens containing oxybenzone or octinoxate. While this study only documented the presence or absence of the two banned chemicals, the majority of sunscreens still contained other UV blocking chemicals or nano-sized mineral particles that are potentially detrimental to coral health. The majority of respondents stated that they would be willing to switch to reef safe sun protection alternatives, but this is hindered by respondents' lack of knowledge about which chemicals they should avoid. Clear and consistent “reef safe” labeling standards would enable individuals to make more informed sunscreen purchasing decisions.

Entre a Pedra e a Onda: Legislação e Percepções da Extração de Perna perna dos Costões da Ilha de Santa Catarina

The removal of shellfish (Perna perna) from de rocky shores for human consumption is a traditional activity in Santa Catarina Island (ISC), Florianopolis, Brazil, constituting a provisioning ecosystem service. This activity is originally linked to fishing and subsistence; however, it acquired commercial purpose after the 1980’s. After the 1990’s, shellfish started to be exploited as seeds for mariculture, increasing pressure on natural stocks. It is fundamental to know the aspects of the extraction of shellfish to manage this resource. This work sought to fill in the gaps in the knowledge on the extraction, the main points being the identity of the actors involved, the location of extraction sites and the legislation relating to the activity. As to describe the characteristics of this activity, a set of interviews took place with key members of the neighboring communities, experts in related fields, and with beach goers in eight locations in ISC. The legislation found covers several of the points required for the management of the activity; however, no indication of supervision by the competent bodies was found, nor the required licenses were issued. The stocks are located on the rocky stretches of the East side of the island and on the more exposed parts of the North shore. The purpose of the mussels affected the capture method: mussels intended for commercialization was extracted by diving while mussels for own consumption were extracted from subaerial shores. All the extractors located were male and lived in Florianopolis, who favor summer months and extract only occasionally. The extractors believe that the amount of available P. perna has decreased, but the change of the source of mariculture seeds from rocky shores to artificial collectors decreased the pressure on said shores, but their rotation methods used are rudimentary. Failures in management, in rotation, in the issuing licenses, lack of supervision, and pollution are the main threats in maintaining the provision of service represented by mussels. This research subsidizes the decision making and serves as bases for other studies on provisioning services of the natural rocky coasts. Keywords: Mussels, Coastal Management, Provisioning services.

Muslim–queer encounters in Rio de Janeiro: Making sense of relational positionalities

For recently arrived West African migrants in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, the virtual and street encounters with travesti sex workers and queer beach goers provoked questions of relative power and status as experienced from a social margin of local Brazilian society. Based on ethnographic fieldwork since 2014, I address the question of how my Muslim interlocutors’ encounter with queers facilitate a particular and partial reading of Brazilian social relations, their legal mediation and their individual and social valuations. Moving between queer, postcolonial, queer of color and Muslim queer scholarship, I situate the local encounters of Muslim West Africans and queer subjects to differentiate and transcend the global framework of homonationalism and queer necropolitics. Situational positionalities result from the interplay of multiple geographical and social locations that, in their contradictions and interdependencies, are characteristic of contemporary urban configurations.

Práticas e Ambivalências Corporais na orla da Praia de Camburi em Vitória/ES

O presente texto tem como objetivo desvelar questões em relação às práticas corporais e os entendimentos de corpo que têm frequentadores de uma praia na orla da cidade de Vitória/ES. Foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa qualitativa baseada na produção etnográfica. Também foram utilizadas entrevistas dirigidas semiestruturadas das quais se criaram os diferentes eixos de análise. Dentre os principais resultados destacamos como os frequentadores do espaço constroem diferentes entendimentos em torno de um discurso baseado no bem-estar, para assim justificar e construir suas próprias noções de saúde, estética e corpo.

Flash Rip Statistics from Video Images

Floc'h, F.; Mabiala, G.R.; Almar, R.; Castelle, B.; Hall, N.; Du Penhoat, Y., Scott, T., and Delacourt, C., 2018. Flash rip statistics from video images. In: Almar, R.; Almeida, L.P.; Trung Viet, N., and Sall, M. (eds.), Tropical Coastal and Estuarine Dynamics. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 81, pp. 100–106. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.The coast of the Gulf of Guinea is exposed to high-energy waves generating strong nearshore currents both driving erosion and posing a threat to recreational beach goers and fishermen. Along this coast, the coexistence of swash and flash rip currents at Grand-Popo beach (Benin) was evidenced in a previous study using a limited number of Lagrangian drifter measurements. In this paper, a method based on color processing of video images from a permanent station has been developed to detect the presence of rip currents via a change of turbidity. Rip current characteristics and their link with tide and wave forcing over a 7-day period are derived. During this experiment, a total of 434 events has been counted during daylight. The majority of rips occurred at low tide and migrates downdrift. Flash rip activity is maximized for shore-normal wave incidence and mild wave conditions showing that flash rips are not driven by shear instabilities of the longshore current at this site. However, the lack of strong variability in wave forcing throughout the experiment prevents a more thorough wave-rip relationship investigation, which motivates the application of the method for a longer period with a wide wave-tide spectrum.

Coastal scenic evaluation at Santa Catarina (Brazil): Implications for coastal management

Continuous and increasing human coastal occupations and developments, often linked to the lack of adequate management plans, seriously threat coastal and marine environments. The knowledge of natural aspects of coastal environments and human occupation characteristics is essential for adequate and sound coastal planning. The present research characterized 80 coastal sites scenic value along the South and Center-South coast of Santa Catarina (Brazil), which receive huge tourist arrivals during the summer season, i.e. from December to March. Coastal evaluation was carried out by means of the Scenery Evaluation System and information on conservation status, beach awards and human occupation level was also gathered. Sites located on the Central-South coast have higher D values due to their relevant physical characteristics, such as the presence of bays, cliffs, mountainous landscape, etc. being very different from those in the South, where the coast is low, rectilinear and unattractive. Class I represents c. 10% of the Center-South coast and class V c. 8%. In the South, the situation is different and none of the sectors was assessed as class I or III, only one sector belongs to class II, and the rest are classified as class IV and V. Obtained information opens new viewpoints to local coastal managers for analysis of the potential for national and international coastal tourism development in: i) natural areas, taking into account that a growing category of beach goers prefer isolated sites of great scenic beauty, and ii) for scenic quality improvement of current tourist developed areas.

Beach litter dynamics on Mediterranean coasts: Distinguishing sources and pathways

We assessed amounts, composition and net accumulation rates every ~15days of beach macro litter (≥2.5cm) on 4 Mediterranean beaches, on Corfu island, N. Ionian Sea, taking into account natural and anthropogenic drivers. Average net accumulation rate on all beaches was found 142±115N/100m/15d. By applying a Generalized Linear Model (GzLM) it was shown that sea transport is the dominant pathway affecting the amount and variability in beach litter loadings. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on compositional data and indicator items discerned two more pathways of beach litter, i.e. in situ litter from beach goers and wind and/or runoff transport of litter from land. By comparing the PCA results to those from a simple item to source attribution, it is shown that regardless their source litter items arrive at beaches from various pathways. Our data provide baseline knowledge for designing monitoring strategies and for setting management targets.

First report of the invasive jellyfish Gonionemus vertens A. Agassiz, 1862 in the Berre Lagoon, southeast France

The hydromedusa Gonionemus vertens A. Agassiz, 1862 was first detected in the Berre Lagoon, south of France, in July 2016. Early June 2017, following an early rise in temperature, much higher numbers of specimens were reported leading to several beach goers being stung and one going into anaphylactic shock. Effort to rehabilitate this highly anthropogenically altered lagoon has led to the redevelopment of the Zostera meadows, which might be favoring the clinging jellyfish. Developmental aberrations of specimens were noted, which could be linked to the remaining presence of chemicals from the industrial development period. Impact of this predator species on the functioning of the lagoon ecosystem should also be studied.

Direct and indirect effects of sunscreen exposure for reef biota

Coral reefs are ecologically and economically important, contributing to both fishing and ecotourism economies around the world. Tourism and recreational activities have increased in coastal areas and so has the use of sunscreen. Sunscreen reduces human exposure to harmful UV rays, but washes off during aquatic recreational activities, which may negatively affect reef biota. To evaluate how sunscreen affects coral reef ecosystems, we added sunscreen at concentrations similar to previous studies to growing environments containing flatworms (Convolutriloba macropyga) with symbiotic algae, photosynthetic diatoms (Nitzschia sp.), Aiptasia anemones, and pulse corals (Xenia sp.). Using behavioral observations and estimates of population and colony growth, we show nominal concentrations of sunscreen negatively affect all of the studied species. Furthermore, we show that mobile flatworms do not avoid water which contains sunscreen and flatworms exposed to sunscreen prefer darker conditions. Based on our results, beach goers should limit use of sunscreens when near coral reefs and consider alternative protective measures, such as the utilization of sun-protective clothing.

Are fecal indicator bacteria appropriate measures of recreational water risks in the tropics: A cohort study of beach goers in Brazil?

Regulating recreational water exposure to pathogens within the tropics is a major public health and economic concern. Although numerous epidemiological studies estimating the risk to recreational marine water exposure have been conducted since the 1950s, few studies have been done in the tropics. Furthermore, many have suggested that the use of fecal indicator bacteria for monitoring recreational water quality in temperate regions is not appropriate in the tropics. We analyzed a large cohort study of five beaches in Sao Paulo, Brazil, conducted during consecutive weekends in the summer of 1999 that estimated risk to water, sand, and food exposures. Enterococci and Escherichia coli concentrations were measured each day of the study. Elevated risks were estimated for both swimming (OR = 1.36 95% CI: 1.05–1.58) and sand contact (OR = 1.29 95% CI 1.05–1.58). A 1 log increase in enterococci concentration was associated with an 11% increase in risk (OR = 1.11 95% CI: 1.04–1.19). For E. coli a 1-log increase in concentration was associated with 19% increase in risk (OR = 1.19 95% CI: 1.14–1.28). Most countries with beaches in the tropics are lower or middle income countries (LMIC) and rely on tourism as a major source of income. We present data that suggests fecal indicator bacteria such as enterococci are an appropriate indicator of risk in tropical urban settings where contamination is coming from predominantly human sources. Additional studies in tropical settings could help inform and refine guidelines for safe use of recreational waters.

Exploring surfers’ perceptions of municipal regulations using grounded theory

The growing popularity of surfing has created management challenges for administrators who want to ensure the enjoyment and safety of beach goers. Virginia Beach, Virginia is one place where surfing has been popular for many years. We explored local resident surfers’ opinions on municipal surfing regulations through focus groups. Using grounded theory, we developed the Surfer Perceptions and Navigation of Regulations Model based on the following themes: positive aspects of regulations, regulations leading to crowding in the surfing areas, enforcement of the surfing regulations and confusion about the regulations and surfers’ navigation of surfing regulations. While we discovered similarities with our findings and other concepts in the recreation literature (crowding, displacement and recreational conflict), we also found support for our results in the surf culture literature. The results of this study could be used to inform quantitative research on surf management practices.