‘Be Smart. Play Safe. Stay Aware.’
Recent Drownings Prompt Safety Message
Redwood
City – Moved by the recent drownings of children and their families off
the San Mateo County coast, officials are launching a public safety
campaign reminding visitors to “Be Smart. Play Safe. Stay Aware.”
The
launch, announced today at Surfer’s Beach in Half Moon Bay, is timed to
the busy Fourth of July holiday, which typically attracts thousands of
visitors to the county’s 54 miles of coastline.
“We're
excited to have a lot of visitors to the San Mateo County coast this
July Fourth holiday, but it’s incumbent on us to share that while the
ocean may be beautiful and wonderful to cool off in, there are sneaker
waves that can take a person out into the water very quickly and
without warning," said Supervisor Ray Mueller whose District Three
includes the coast. "Unfortunately, we’ve lost lives in this water so
if you come to the coast, please keep your children within a short
distance of you, remember that the water is very cold and without a
wetsuit depletes your energy quickly, don’t turn your back to the
ocean, and if you're caught in a sneaker wave, swim parallel to shore."
Visitors
will see flashing roadside signs along the major coast arteries of
Highway 1, which stretches from Pacifica to past Pescadero, and Highway
92, the main coastal access route for visitors from the mid-Peninsula,
East Bay, South Bay and beyond.
Signs will flash with the messages, “Be Smart. Play Safe. Stay Aware.” And then “Don’t turn back on the ocean.”