Dressing for a Day at the Beach

Dressing for a day at the beach sounds like an easy task, but so many Emerald Coast visitors happen upon the beaches in the wrong attire. We here on the Emerald Coast like to consider ourselves experts at dealing with the Florida sun and would like to pass on our first-hand knowledge to help make your stay pleasant and comfortable. Afterall, if you burn on the first day of vacation, you may end up spending the rest of your time inside putting on aloe rather than in our shops spending money. I am here to make sure that does not happen.

Swimsuit

There are a few clothing items that you cannot live without on the beach. The most obvious piece of clothing is the swimsuit. Some tips for staying comfortable in your suit include:

Get the right size – do not go down a size just because you have gained weight and refuse to wear the next size up. You will find yourself miserable in a tight wet suit filled with sand. Equally as bad is a suit that is too big for you. If the suit is too big, you will constantly worry about it falling off as you wave dive. Make sure the suit fits snug, but not too snug.

Find one that makes you confident – do not pick a skimpy bathing suit that constantly makes you worry that people are looking at your imperfections. A day at the beach is supposed to be relaxing; you should not have to worry about how you look.

Remove the lining – here is a great tip for the ladies. If you are tired of having sand weigh your bottom down, why not just remove the inner lining all together? What purpose does it really serve?

Shoes

The sand on the beach can get pretty hot, and not everyone is as nice to the beach as they should be. There may be objects on the beach that could seriously hurt your feet. Here are a few tips for finding the right beach shoes:

Get comfortable shoes – the worst feeling in the world is to tread down the beach with chunky shoes that cause blisters. Flip flops may seem like a logical choice, but if you are not used to wearing them, they too can cause blisters.

Pick shoes easy to slip on and off – you probably will not want to wear your beach shoes the entire time you are on the beach, so get some that are easy to put on over wet, sandy feet.

Sunglasses

Sunglasses were not invented to make you look like a movie star or just to keep you from squinting your eyes. Sunglasses act as sunscreen for your eyes and can help prevent harmful UV rays from damaging the eyes that you need to get through the rest of your life. Use these tips to pick functional sunglasses:

Get the right size – sunglasses come in all shapes and sizes. Make sure that you try on a pair that is comfortable and fits your head snugly enough to stay on all day.

Protect against UV rays – before you get in line to check out with your new pair of sunglasses, read the label. Make sure that they protect against at least 70 percent of UV rays. Some doctors suggest not using any that are under 98 percent protection.

Other clothing

Do not think that you are ready to go just because you have sunglasses, shoes and a swimsuit. There are several other items that you must bring with you to the beach. Check out the Beach Checklist for a full list of the items that you should bring with you for a day at the beach.