Hi there!
The ocean is powerful!
You can’t always see what’s going on underwater from the shore.
There are many beaches that put up beach flags as a way to let you know what the conditions in the water are like.
The beach flags are different colors based on the ocean conditions.
This allows you to take additional precautions when swimming at the beach.
👆 Spot the beach flag! Green flag at the beach at South Pointe Park in Miami Beach, one of the best beaches to go to on a Miami to Key West Florida road trip!
👆 Spot the beach flat! Green flag at the beach in Bahia Honda State Park, one of the best beaches in the Florida Keys.
To put it simply, you can think of beach flags like traffic lights:
- Green means go
- Yellow means use caution
- Red means stop
What are green flag conditions?
According to the beach signs, a green flag at the beach means that there are generally calm conditions in the water and there is a low hazard in the water.
Can you swim if there’s a green flag?
If you see a green flag at the beach, this means that you are allowed to go swimming!
A green flag means that it’s the safest water conditions you can get to go swimming.
Here is what a green flag at the beach means according to Florida State Parks:
Green flag means that the waters are safe.
👆 A green flag at the beach means that there is a low hazard. You are allowed to go swimming. There are calm conditions in the water.
👆 What the Emerald Coast of Florida wants you to know about beach flags before you go swimming in Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa Island… and anywhere else!
What do green and purple flags mean at the beach?
It’s also possible that you may see not just a green flag on its own, but also green and purple flags together.
A purple beach flag means that there is a risk for dangerous marine life.
So if you see green and purple flags at the beach together, it means that while the water is safe for swimming in terms of rip currents, there is a risk for encountering dangerous marine life.
Swimming is allowed if you see green and purple flags at the beach, but you may want to use caution!
Rip currents
Again, the ocean is powerful!
While there is minimal risk of rip currents when there is a green flag at the beach, it is still important to know about rip currents if you are going swimming in the ocean.
To be dramatic, you can DIE because of rip currents.
There is a story of tourists from Mississippi who were in the water at Panama City Beach in Florida when they were swept into the water by a rip current.
It is reported that they were only knee deep in the water when it happened. One of them died. There was a red flag warning at the time. Read the story.
In that tragic story, the risk for rip currents was high.
But rip currents can exist even when the beach flag warning shows a low or moderate risk.
So know before you go!
According to the National Ocean Service, rip currents account for 80% of beach rescues.
Before heading off to the beach, talk with your group about what to do if you find yourself in a rip current!
In short:
- Don’t fight the current.
- Swim parallel to shore.
Learn about rip currents from the National Ocean Service (NOAA).
👆 What the Emerald Coast of Florida wants you to know about rip currents before you go swimming! Screenshot the above and send to the people you’ll be going to the beach with! Or just send this whole article!
If the beach you are going to has a beach flag, take extra caution based on the color of the beach flag!
Even if the flag indicates generally “calm conditions,” it’s still the ocean, so take care!
And that’s a bit about a green beach flag!
More for your beach vacation:
- Do you know what a double red flag means?
- The perfect swimming shirt for your beach vacation
- Do you need water shoes?
- The cheapo way to take underwater pictures
- Why a personal swim buoy float is perfect for ocean swimming
- What to pack for a Florida beach vacation (or any beach!)
- What to pack for snorkeling in the Florida Keys (or any snorkeling spot!)
STAY SAFE AT THE BEACH EVEN IF THERE’S A GREEN BEACH FLAG!