TIME ON THE WATER STAGED BADGE

While on my summer holidays I went to Florida and got to spend a whole day paddle boarding and sea swimming. It was a lot of fun spending the day on the beach. My family went to New Smyrna Beach.

To stay safe we setup our beach chairs and parasol next to a lifeguard station and my mum told me about dangers in Florida. She would know she grew up there!

I had to learn about riptides, sharks and following lifeguard instructions. I had to keep putting suncream on so I wouldn’t get burnt. I wore swim shorts and a vest top to protect my chest and back from the sun.

In Florida they have a purple flag they use to show that sharks are in the water and people need to get out. We were having a great time until a shark showed up so we had to pack and leave at 4 pm. I got to spend about 6 hours paddle boarding though.

Florida has bull sharks, tiger sharks, lemon sharks and hammerheads. My mum also told me that there are barracuda’s, eels, and stinging jellyfish.

 

You can track different types of sharks here: http://www.trackingsharks.com/