Beach etiquette 101: Here’s how to be polite on your next vacation to Ocean City

Sunscreen, bathing suits, towels? Check, check, check on the list of beach essentials for your next trip to Ocean City.

But before you cross the Bay Bridge this summer, add one more thing to the list: make sure to pack your common courtesy.

“People do things on the beach in Ocean City they wouldn’t do back in their hometowns,” said Butch Arbin, captain of Ocean City Beach Patrol.

Arbin would know. After more than 50 summers in Ocean City, the longtime captain said he has seen it all from the millions of tourists who flock to the beach every year.

This summer, tourism to Maryland’s famed beach town is set to be on pace with last summer’s numbers — 8 million visitors annually —if not exceeding them, according to analytics of upcoming hotel and short-term rental bookings, said Tom Perlozzo, Ocean City’s director of tourism.

“We certainly expect to have a good year,” he said. “We just need Mother Nature to cooperate.”

Whether you’re a first time visitor or a lifelong vacationer in Ocean City, we’ve rounded up some common sense tips to keep things courteous and cool when you hit the beach this summer:

In and on the water

Nothing beats a hot summer day like a dip in the Atlantic Ocean, but before you take the plunge, remember this: “Keep your feet in the sand until the lifeguard’s in the stand,” Arbin said.

Dozens of Ocean City’s lifeguards, or surf rescue technicians, take the stands from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily to keep an eye on ocean swimmers. On average, the guards make anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 rescues per year, Arbin said.

Swimmers should heed warnings from the guards, Arbin said, especially on days with strong waves or rip currents. Still, some don’t listen.

“Some people will [see the lifeguards] rescue somebody in front of them, we’ll finish the rescue and they’ll go right in the water where we just rescued somebody,” he said.

Being aware of your surroundings is even more crucial when you take a boogie board or surfboard into the water.

With large crowds during the summer, surfing is only allowed on designated beaches between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Those beaches rotate daily between Memorial Day weekend and the end of September, with options available at the northern and southern ends of the beach. A permanent surfing beach is located at the inlet at Ocean City’s southernmost point, though surfers will need to check the schedule for closures.

Boogie boarding, however, is allowed on the non-surfing portions of the beach, provided the board is less than 54 inches long, doesn’t have fins and its user is wearing an attached leash.

It’s key to remain aware of others in the water, Arbin said, and if the ocean is crowded, “maybe that’s not the time to be boogie boarding.”

On the sand

For those who aren’t feeling up to a swim, there’s plenty of things to do on the town’s 10 miles of sandy beach. Throwing a football, tossing a frisbee and kite flying are popular activities for beachgoers, especially for families and recent high school graduates heading to the beach for Senior Week.

While those activities are allowed, guards ask tourists to take them to the back half of the beach, closer to the dunes. Even so, players need to be cognizant of their surroundings and make sure they’re not too close to others enjoying the beach, Arbin said. The lifeguards can pause games that get too rowdy or stop kite flying that’s out of control.

“If you want to go to the beach and lay there and get a tan, we don’t want people running over you in a football game or hitting you with a kite,” he said.

Public beach volleyball courts and a beach tennis net are located between 3rd and 4th streets near the boardwalk, and other public nets can be found between 2nd and 12th streets.

Fishing is also popular in Ocean City — the annual White Marlin Open has been held there for the last 50 years.

Surf fishing on the beach, however, is not allowed within 50 yards of swimmers or beachgoers between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend to the end of September.

It’s nearly impossible to find a space that large during the day, Arbin said, so fishers tend to head out in the early mornings or evenings. But if rainy weather keeps people away from the beach for the day, surf fishers can then cast their lines.

Respecting your neighbors and the beach

While it’s easy to focus on the highlight reel of your own vacation, it’s important to remember that the beach is a shared resource.

Being mindful of others starts as soon as you hit the sand to stake out your spot on the beach. Starting around 8 a.m., Arbin said, the lifeguards will see that chairs and umbrellas have been set up close to the ocean for a front row view, but many people leave right after to have breakfast before coming back, taking up space that isn’t being used immediately. That leads to families setting up even earlier, with some staking out their spots as early as 6 a.m.

“People have to realize that they’re out there with everybody,” he said. “So if they go out there and set up all of their stuff … and take up 50 yards of beach, then nobody else can be front row.”

Beachgoers need to remember to give space when setting up, Arbin added. Setting up in front of others can hamper families’ views of their children playing in the sand, and tightly crowding the front row doesn’t give enough space for others to walk to the water’s edge.

While cabanas and beach tents are allowed on the beach as well, vacationers should be conscious of the space their equipment takes up. From an etiquette standpoint, it’s better to move them further back on the beach to give more space to others passing by and to allow families to see their children playing in the water.

Families need to be aware of what their kids are doing, too, whether they’re playing on the beach or in the water. Having distance between setups on the beach will prevent other vacationers from getting upset if children kick or throw sand.

While it can be fun to dig holes in the sand or bury someone, there are rules to that, too. Beachgoers can dig holes, but they can only be knee deep as the smallest person in the party, even if that person is a toddler, Arbin said. And when you’re done for the day, fill the hole back in so others walking on the beach don’t fall in.

Beachgoers can also play music from speakers on the beach, but remember to keep the volume low and the music clean for others, especially those with children.

Though plenty of people try to bring it and hide it, alcohol isn’t allowed on the beach or in public, according to town rules. Smoking cigarettes is allowed, however, but only in designated spots along the beach. Smoking or vaping cannabis in public is illegal though, and that law applies throughout the state.

When your beach day is over, it’s important to leave nothing but your footprints in the sand. That means picking up your trash and not leaving it for someone else to take care of later.

“People just need to not be selfish, need to think about the other people around them they’re impacting,” Arbin said. “That’s the biggest thing in beach etiquette.”