OC Pura Vida

07/08/2022

Good information for ocean safety.

Swimming in the ocean is not the same as swimming in a pool or lake. Follow these tips to get your feet wet and stay alive.

🌊***Swim at the Lifeguarded Beach***
Lifeguards are on duty 10 am - 5 pm daily. The lifeguarded beaches are marked by red over yellow flags. This is your best choice for staying safe while swimming. If you choose to swim at other locations or after the lifeguarded beaches close, you do so at your own risk. Please wear a Coast Guard approved lifejacket.

🌊***Check Out the Surf***
Daily surf conditions are posted at the lifeguarded beaches.
🟨yellow flags = moderate surf
🟥red flags = strong surf/seaward currents
🟥🟥double red flags = beach closed due to hazardous conditions.
If in doubt, don’t go out!

🌊***Stay Current with Currents***
👉Longshore Currents move parallel to the beach. These currents are present on most days and may be strong. Lifeguards post the speed and direction of these currents daily.
👉Seaward Currents move perpendicular to the beach and include “rip” currents. They may be marked with red flags on the beach. Do not panic if you get in one and do not wear yourself out trying to swim against it. Save your strength for your own rescue. Swim parallel with the shore for a short distance and then swim to shore once you are out of the current. If you cannot get to shore, float on your back and control your breathing. Call for help and raise one arm up for attention.

🌊***Know your Limitations***
You are responsible for your own safety. If the conditions seem beyond your skill level then stay out of the water. Floatation devices such as body boards, noodles and pool toys and may create a false sense of security and can carry you far from the beach. Don’t use a floatation device unless you are able to swim. Only Coast Guard approved lifejackets are permitted in the lifeguarded beach areas.

🌊***Use the Buddy System***
Always swim with a buddy. A buddy can call for help if you get into trouble or may be able to assist you.

For more information about surf safety, please visit the surf safety section at https://www.nps.gov/asis/planyourvisit/surf-and-beach-safety.htm

06/12/2021

05/27/2021

Here are some links to Assateague Island weather and conditions, it’s always good to check conditions before you go.

Here Comes Summer! Don’t forget to plan ahead before your visit to Assateague Island National Seashore this Memorial Day Weekend! Check out some quick, helpful information and a few links here:

• Lifeguards will be on duty in the Maryland and Virginia districts from 10am until 5pm, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
• All campgrounds are full this weekend. For lodging information in the local area visit: https://visitmarylandscoast.org/?fbclid=IwAR10XHxiVe1bTvUD4p5SJXGMkr--XpsXczMAtRUg5LgLxBgyMFiPK8P1Frk
• For the current OSV status: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1557666744530321 and https://twitter.com/ChincoteagueOSV
• Weather information https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=38.2091&lon=-75.152 #.YK542o2SlRY
• Beach conditions: https://www.weather.gov/beach/akq
• Rip current safety: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa4k5TcIo_U
• Assateague Rip current probability: https://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/nwps/images/rtimages/validation/nwps_akq_ripprob_stat55.png
• Ticks are out! https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/removing_a_tick.html?fbclid=IwAR2Ak83vC9tzHDDIzBdNRG41_RdzPCvLM12KP5v33_sJLvzKf1MV52WU82Q
• Wild Horse Safety! https://www.nps.gov/asis/learn/nature/horses.htm

Whew!!

04/20/2021

If you have access to MPT, it's Chesapeake Bay week! https://www.mpt.org/bayweek/schedule/?fbclid=IwAR0Khzb3Aq-jYdSDa8Ep9QBNOtPKgziIJILVbFsNVBEbYK_kkX5qyG8BRiM

Maryland Public Television (MPT) is a public television station that broadcasts throughout Maryland, DC, and parts of DE, PA, VA, and WV.

04/11/2021

An extra hour each morning to ride your bike on the boardwalk!

(April 9, 2021) Ocean City Council members are giving cyclists an extra hour during the day to ride their bikes on the Boardwalk this summer, as a move made last

03/21/2021

This is why we can't have white wash cloths!

If you’ve even been out on the beach after a windstorm like the one we had yesterday, you’ve probably noticed patches of black like you see in the photo below. If you’ve touched the patch then you know it is not oil stained sand. So what is it?

Sand is made up of a hodgepodge of different types of minerals. Light minerals, such as quartz & feldspar are mixed in with heavy minerals such as magnetite and garnet. On Assateague, the light minerals are light in color; the heavy minerals are dark. As the wind blows, the less dense sand grains get blown around on the surface of the beach, exposing the denser, dark sand that settles beneath. The exposed sand looks like a patch of oil. But to prove it is not, take a heavy duty magnet out of your pocket and toss it into the patch (make sure it is dry). When you retrieve the magnet, it will be covered with the black sand. Why? The primary mineral in black sand, magnetite, is made of iron so it is highly magnetic!

07/22/2020

The view from the lanai.

07/19/2020

It's a quick walk to the ocean from Diamond Beach #114

It's a quick walk to the beach from Diamond Beach #114.

07/19/2020

When there’s a west wind, these flies may be blown to Ocean City from Assateague. Their bite is powerful, so you may want to make it an outlets day when you see them.

Many have asked “Why are greenheads just so nasty?” and today we are going to answer that. Greenhead flies live in and around the marsh their entire life. Eggs are laid on salt marsh grass and the larva will hatch and either be washed off or crawl down the grass. As larva they will spend over a year buried in the marsh until they pupate. Then as adults, both males and females will feed on nectar and other similar substances. The female then lays her first batch of eggs, and by a batch we mean 100-200 eggs at a time. All this time and still no bloodshed – yet. This female greenhead has just laid up to 200 eggs, is now famished and feeling quite aggressive. After 200 kids in one moment I am sure anyone would be pretty irritable! Now she is out for blood.

Now remember, she was just successful in laying a batch of eggs on a strict diet of nectar, but now she is on the hunt for blood she didn’t even need just because she is feeling aggressive. Nasty? That’s an understatement!

Flying the edge of the marsh she is seeking a large mammal with plenty of blood to spare and a horse or a human will do nicely. She knows that she will only be living 3-4 weeks more and would like to ensure her bloodline continues to grow by laying more eggs. Blood will serve as the protein source to help nourish the new batch of eggs.

Being that greenheads and mosquitoes are in the same order of insect (Diptera) and hunt the same way, you would think the bite would be very similar, so why does the greenhead bite hurt so much compared to that of a mosquito? Mosquitoes will suck blood from a single capillary in a manner such as a syringe when you donate blood. Greenheads on the other hand are a bit larger and bite differently. She will probe the surface area to find a place packed with multiple capillaries to feed from a large pool. Then she will use her scissor-like mouth parts to bite and begin sucking blood. As she continues to draw your blood, other mouth parts begin to work her deeper and deeper into your skin and this is when we really start to swat her away. Just like the mosquito, the greenhead injects an anticoagulant to keep the blood from clotting, and the pain you feel is your body responding to the foreign substance entering the body.

While DEET may help with mosquitoes, greenheads are much more immune to it being the large powerhouse of a horsefly. Check the wind before your visit to Assateague as a western wind will blow them from the marsh onto the beach where you will be trying to enjoy your beach day. (Text: Heather McDaniel) (Photo: Maximilian Paradiz via Wikimedia Creative Commons)