Spring Break Safety Tips from Escambia County

With spring break bringing residents and visitors to Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key, Escambia County encourages everyone to stay safe while enjoying Escambia County beaches and waterways.

Beachgoers are strongly encouraged to swim in lifeguarded areas and to follow all posted warnings and lifeguard instructions.

Know Before You Go

Before heading to the beach, check available tools, including traffic cameras and daily surf flag updates, to help plan your visit.

Pensacola Beach Lifeguard Towers

From March 14-22, Pensacola Beach Lifeguards will staff lifeguard towers at Casino Beach, Quietwater Beach, Park East and Park West, with roving patrols covering the eight-mile stretch of Pensacola Beach from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. After spring break, lifeguards will staff the Casino Beach towers Monday through Friday, with Quietwater Beach, Park East and Park West towers staffed on weekends. Daily staffing at all towers will resume on Friday, May 1.

Beginning Friday, May 15, Pensacola Beach Lifeguards will expand their staffing to cover Langdon Beach, Opal Beach and Johnson Beach in the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Lifeguards will also begin coverage at Perdido Key Beach Access #2 starting Saturday, May 23.

Beach Flag System

Pensacola Beach Lifeguards fly surf warning flags in several locations along Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key. The colored flag system measures the following surf risks:

• Green flag - Low Hazard: Generally calms surf and currents
• Yellow flag - Medium Hazard: Moderate surf and/or currents
• Red flag - High Hazard: High surf and/or dangerous currents; beach patrons encouraged to remain out of the water
• Double red flag - Water Closed: No swimming or wading
• Purple flag - Stinging Marine Life: Flown when jellyfish, Portuguese man o'war or other stinging marine life are present

Beach patrons are advised that the absence of a beach flag in their location does not assure water safety. For daily flag conditions and more information about Pensacola Beach Lifeguards, visit the Pensacola Beach Lifeguards page on MyEscambia.com or the Pensacola Beach Lifeguards Facebook. Receive daily surf flag text updates by texting "PBFLAGS" to 888-777. Click here to watch our lifeguards explain the flag system.

Pensacola Beach Traffic and Construction Updates

Escambia County operates three traffic cameras on Pensacola Beach. Two cameras are positioned at the Bob Sikes Toll Plaza, showing traffic entering and leaving the beach. A third camera, located at South Harbour Condominium, provides a view of the Casino Beach parking lot. Click here to view traffic cameras along Pensacola Beach.

Construction is underway for the Pensacola Beach Gateway Improvements Project, but all southbound lanes approaching Pensacola Beach are expected to remain open during spring break. Click here to learn more about the Pensacola Beach Gateway Improvements Project.

Water Safety

Rip currents are the leading water hazard and account for more than 80% of lifeguard rescues. Even on green flag days, rip currents can be present.

If caught in a rip current:

• Stay calm.
• Swim parallel to shore.
• If unable to swim out immediately, float with the current until it weakens, then swim back to shore at an angle.

Click here to watch a video on rip currents from the Pensacola Beach Lifeguards.

Protect Sea Turtles

Remember to "leave no trace" and keep Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key sea turtle-friendly. Properly dispose of trash, fill in any holes in the sand and remove belongings from the beach at the end of the day. This includes not leaving any personal property unattended on the sandy Gulf beach from sunset until sunrise, including umbrellas, tents, beach toys and chairs. To view the Leave No Trace ordinance, click here.

Click here to watch a video with safety tips to follow when digging holes on the beach.

Beach Rules