With Memorial Day Weekend firmly in our rear view mirrors, we're taking stock of how our beaches and boardwalks were treated this past weekend. With an eye toward the rest of the summer beach season, here are my top 5 beach etiquette suggestions for visitors.

 

  • 1

    Clean Up After Yourselves

    It's pretty sad to look at our stretches of beaches and see what looks more like a stretch of landfill than pristine sand.

    It really does boggle my mind how many people just drop their trash where they were sitting. Especially with many beaches having trash cans either right on the sand or on the boardwalks for convenience.

    Come on, it's not that hard, if you brought it in, bring it out!

    Photo by Justin Louis
    Photo by Justin Louis
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  • 2

    Stay Off The Dunes

    Sure, the sand dunes look nice, especially when the seagrass is covering the sandy mounds, but they're not jungle gyms.

    It blew my mind when I was at the Community Medical Center Seaside Park Boardwalk Studio on Friday, and I saw parents idly standing by while their kids were climbing and playing on the dunes - right next to a sign that says to stay off of the dunes!

    They're there for a reason, and it's not for entertainment purposes!

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  • 3

    Don't Feed The Seagulls

    Seagulls aren't stupid.

    They're like stray cats - if you feed them, they'll keep coming back.

    Another thing that I saw on Friday was a group of teenagers gleefully feeding seagulls, a huge group of which congregated because they knew that there was a free meal being offered up.

    I'm willing to bet that the family that was sunbathing nearby didn't appreciate it.

    Photo by Justin Louis
    Photo by Justin Louis
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  • 4

    If You're A Smoker, Be Considerate

    As we discussed last week, a number of Ocean County beaches already ban smoking, and a statewide ban could follow any day now.

    In the meantime, if you're a smoker and you are partaking on the beach, please be aware of those around you (and which way the wind is blowing!).

    This has to be one of my favorite, "you can't make this stuff up" photos - a guy smoking a cigar on the Seaside Park boardwalk directly in front of a sign that says, "Smoking Prohibited On The Beach And Boardwalk".

    Come on!

    Photo by Justin Louis
    Photo by Justin Louis
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  • 5

    Be Considerate Of Families

    All kinds of people enjoy the beaches in the summer - couples, singles, groups of kids, groups of adults, and families.

    While many of us (myself included) let the colorful language fly when among friends, the family with small children next to you may not appreciate it.

    I've also seen young couples making out on the beach like they were underneath the football field bleachers. As the old saying goes, "get a room!".

    It's just another way of being considerate and thinking of those around you - not everyone wants to hear your colorful language or see your game of tonsil hockey.

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    Getty Images
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