Dr. Beach's Survival Guide: What You Need to Know About Sharks, Rip Currents, and More Before Going in the Water [Paperback]

Professor Stephen P. Leatherman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2003

Designed for beachgoers, this guide is filled with surprising information about how to avoid dangers both large and small while at the beach. Stephen Leatherman (otherwise known as Dr Beach) introduces the gamut of beach hazards, from sharks to rip currents to jellyfish, revealing which dangers should be of greatest concern and how best to minimize their risks. His scientifically sound advice, interspersed with facts and anecdotes, should make this work a useful reference for the travellers and vacationers who visit the ocean shore every year. There are practical answers to these intriguing questions and more: which US beach records the most shark attacks each year?; which species of shark is the most dangerous to people?; why are rip currents the most deadly beach threat?; how can rips be avoided?; what should you do if caught in a rip?; can lightning strikes at the beach be predicted?; is a stingray dangerous?; when is ocean water pollution likely to be worst?; what types of waves are threatening and how can they be detected?; what is the danger of a red tide?; and how can swimmers avoid contact with jellyfish?

Editorial Reviews

Review

A true seaside read designed to save your life. -- Carolanne Griffith Roberts, Florida Living

From the Inside Flap

Here, from the nation's most renowned beach expert, is the first complete guide to beach safety. Stephen P. Leatherman (a.k.a. Dr. Beach) introduces the gamut of beach hazards --- from sharks to rip currents to jellyfish -- revealing which dangers should be of greatest concern and how best to minimize their risks. His scientifically sound advice, interspersed with fascinating facts and anecdotes, makes this book a perfect reference for the millions of travelers and vacationers who visit the ocean shore every year.

Answers to these intriguing questions and more:
-Which U.S. beach records the most shark attacks each year?
-Which species of shark is the most dangerous to people?
-Why are rip currents the most deadly beach threat?
-How can rips be avoided?
-What should you do if caught in a rip?
-Can lightning strikes at the beach be predicted?
-Is a stingray dangerous?
-When is ocean water pollution likely to be worst?
-What types of waves are threatening and how can they be detected?
-What is the danger of a red tide?
-How can swimmers avoid contact with jellyfish?

"From sharks to rip currents, read this book for fun stories, but share it to save lives." (Jean-Michel Cousteau, president, Ocean Futures Society)

"For those of us who love the shore, "Dr. Beach's Survival Guide" is a thoughtful, thorough book to pack with the suntan lotion this summer. The real payoff is his compelling argument that rip currents, not sharks, are the real coastal menace." (Keith Bellows, editor-in-chief, National Geographic Traveler)

"Professor Leatherman's broad knowledge of beach and coastal issues gives him vast credibility. This book is a must-read for every beachgoer!" (Christopher Evans, Surfrider Foundation-U.S.A.)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (April 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300100280
• ISBN-13: 978-0300100280
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,150,263 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Travel > Specialty Travel > Travel with Pets
  • #14 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science > Nature & Ecology > Oceans & Seas > General
  • #70 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Reference

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book from "Dr. Beach.", August 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Dr. Beach's Survival Guide: What You Need to Know About Sharks, Rip Currents, and More Before Going in the Water (Paperback)

This is another excellent book from Dr. Beach, one of the country's foremost authorities on coastal processes. This book is a fine introduction to the hazards at the beach. His chapter on rip currents is especially interesting and informative. Anyone who ventures onto the beach and into the water should read this section in order to recognize the telltale signs of a rip current.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and useful book, July 17, 2003

By 

magellan (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Dr. Beach's Survival Guide: What You Need to Know About Sharks, Rip Currents, and More Before Going in the Water (Paperback)

This book is full of interesting info and useful tidbits about the dangers and hazards of going to the beach. Some of this I already knew, but much of it was new. For example, when I was growing up in L.A. as a beach bum, I learned that you can spot riptides by standing on the cliff or getting a little elevation, such as by climbing up a lifeguard stand, and looking for a triangle of white water pointing out to sea. They could be anywhere from 50 feet wide to hundreds of yards wide, but they were detectable if you knew what to look for. I also learned that most sharks don't like the murky water where the waves are breaking and stirring up the sand, and to head for that if there was trouble. Better yet, just get out of the water. I learned how to recognized each shark species by their fins and which ones to get out of the water if they appeared, such as bluefins, which are also known man-eaters in addition to the infamous great whites. Interestingly enough, technically great whites are only "man-biters" rather than mean-eaters. They usually bite humans by mistake looking for seals, their favorite food, and so spit it out. Of course, that's not much consolation to the person at that point. Some of these attacks are because a swimmer in a wet suit looks a lot like a seal with their dark, blubbery skin. It's also probably not a good idea to decorate the bottom and sides of your sea kayak with pictures of seals, as I saw once. :-)

Having been at the beach many times and body-surfed some pretty big waves occasionally, I've had a few harrowing experiences myself. I once had the experience of being in an undertoe that actually pulled me underneath the water, but only for about 5 seconds. It was still a little scary. One time I stupidly tried to ride an 18-foot wave and almost got killed because the wave was what the Aussies call "a dumper" and it smashed me on the bottom. You should avoid fast-breaking dumpers because of that. I think the biggest wave that's safe to ride for most people is probably about 10 feet, unless you've got a belly board, which can outrun the break. Wearing one swim fin (yes, only one is needed, because it's inconvenient to have two fins on) is a trick experienced body-surfers use, that's also helpful for catching waves. Back in the 60's, I saw TV footage of this crazy guy belly-boarding 30-foot waves at Waimea. Talk about guts.

The beach that's the king of the riptides is Sunset Beach in Hawaii. Many people have died there because of rips, and it's capable of pulling you under, too. Once it pulled 3 surfers under at the same time, who unfortunately drowned. One thing to remember is if you "wipe out," be sure to tuck and roll up into a ball. One thing that happens to tourists and neophytes at Sunset is that when they go "over the falls," they don't tuck and then get slammed face first into the bottom, breaking their necks. This happened recently to a young couple that was on their honeymoon, and it's happened a number of times to inexperienced swimmers and body-surfers before. So be careful about that.

Speaking of getting pulled under, I once had the idea for a little invention, a small oxygen cylinder that would weigh maybe 5 or 10 pounds max but that would contain enough air to allow you to breath for a few minutes, if you were going swimming or body- surfing, especially at a potentially dangerous beach like Sunset. Not sure if it would be practical, but I never did follow up on it to find out. But there were a number of times when I wiped out on a big wave and didn't get to take a full breath before I got slammed under, and then I got held down for 20-30 seconds or so, or had to stay down that long because of other breaking waves, and I was almost out of air a couple of times before I was able to surface, and that would have been nice to have.

Another odd fact is that the reason why your feet itch after a day at the beach, at least on western U.S. beaches. It's not because of the hot sand and the salt water. It's because of the pieces of jellyfish, especially man-'o-war, that wash up on the beach, and can still irritate your feet even after days on the sand.

Well, if I haven't scared you off completely from going to the beach again, this is a great little book to learn about all the hazards and dangers. Good luck and happy beach-going!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great book for the beach!, July 6, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Dr. Beach's Survival Guide: What You Need to Know About Sharks, Rip Currents, and More Before Going in the Water (Paperback)

If you're a regular beach-goer like I am, this little book is a gold mine. Although not big, it's filled with interesting information about beaches, sharks, and other things that can mess up your beach vacation. While the shark section is a real eye-opener, its all the details about how beaches really work that I liked most. Who would have thought there would be so much to know about our favorite summer vacation spots? I guess if anyone would know about beaches, it's Dr. Beach! This is a great little book that's now a permanent part of my beach gear.