Beach Safety Info From Visit South Walton

Important Beach Safety Info from Visit South Walton

Committed to Beach Safety Every Day - For Gulf conditions and flag updates, text "SAFETY" to 31279.

 *​Entering the Gulf during double red flag conditions can result in a $500 fine and criminal charges.

Download a Beach Safety Flyer

Lifeguard Information
Lifeguards are available at Regional Beach Accesses March 1 - October 31 with limited roving coverage year-round. Lifeguards are provided by South Walton Fire District and funded as a part of the Visit South Walton Beach Safety Program. Regional Beach Accesses include Miramar Beach, Dune Allen, Fort Panic, Ed Walline, Gulfview Heights, Blue Mountain, Van Ness Butler Jr., Santa Clara and Inlet Beach.

Rip Current Information

Identify a Rip Current
- Darker color surf, indicating deeper water
- Murky brown water caused by sand stirred up on the bottom
- Smaller unorganized waves, alongside more evenly breaking waves over a sand bar
- Waves breaking further out to sea on both sides of the rip current

How to Help Someone Caught in a Rip Current
- Notify a lifeguard
- Have someone call 911, give accurate landmarks
- Do not enter the water, you too will be caught in the current
- Throw them a flotation device
- Try not to lose sight of the victim

What To Do If You Are Caught in a Rip Current
- Don’t panic or swim against the current
- Relax, float with the current until it dissipates
- Swim parallel to shore and back in
- Of course, the best way to avoid a rip current is to know the surf conditions before entering the water!
- Know the conditions and watch the flags!