After a six-week closure, the beaches are open for everyone to enjoy the sun, surf and display of quarantine-flabby flesh. But not like in the Before Times: Today's beachgoing fun includes only a handful of activities, while many others are restricted. So what's a sun-and-sand lover to do? We've put together a few ideas for fun activities and accessories to help you stay salty (and safe).
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L.A. County Beaches Are Open (Hurray)! Here Are 6 Dos and Don’ts
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1. DO: Keep More Than Six Feet From Others (Except Members of the Same Household)
Basically, the rule is to keep moving; in other words, you can walk, jog, swim or surf, but you can't lie out on a blanket and sunbathe, picnic or just plop down for a relaxing meditation. And you still have to stay six feet away from others, which is why volleyball and other group sports are not allowed. (Inscrutably, you are also not allowed to bicycle, which belies logic.)
2. DON’T: Forget to Wear Face Coverings When You're out of the Water
Whatever you do, keep your mouth and nose covered and keep moving, as the mayor is doubling down masks and asking all Angelenos to wear them whenever outdoors. On the beach, this means you have to don them except when you are in the water. And city officials up and down the coast say that if citizens don’t follow these precautions, there will be future full beach closures.
3. DO: Go Surfing or Boogie Boarding
Some surf schools such as Aqua Surf School on Malibu's Surfrider Beach are open once again, so you can rent your board and wetsuit there. You can also opt to buy your own wetsuit online, as well as pick up a boogie board (way easier to use than surfboards, for beginners). Or get a skim board, which is a fun glide on the sand and not nearly as strenuous.
4. DON’T: Use the Parking Lots
They’re still closed, sorry.
5. DO: Try A New Activity
Maybe drive to Long Beach with your pup and spend a good hour walking the sands of Rosie's Dog Beach. Or meet a pal for a six-foot-apart, mask-intact social distancing stroll along the winding beachside parks of Santa Monica or Venice. Wear a pair of neon shorts. Or heck, just roll up your trousers, walk along the shoreline and have a good, cleansing cry. It’ll feel so good to just do something besides watching Netflix all day.
6. DON'T: Sit, Sunbathe or Join a Group
The rule is that sitting, sunbathing or gathering together for a picnic is not OK. Which is a bummer, or maybe just the incentive we need to keep it active on the sand. May grey or June gloom, the beach is still one of our area’s greatest assets, and we’re here for it.