Beach vacations rate a 10 with most everyone. But if the ocean beckons your family at the start of summer, don’t take a vacation from safety.

Parents should be especially careful at the beginning of the swimming season, when children may be out of practice, says Debra Brown, a registered nurse and trauma services director at Children’s Medical Center Dallas.

“Parents should take into account that their children’s skills may not be as strong as they were at the end of the last season. Also, you can’t assume they’re the same in open water environments like the beach or lake as they are in the pool. Give your child the chance to get acclimated to the water again, and to a new environment.”

• Make sure your children know how to swim well. Know their limits, too.
• Respect the ocean’s strength and aquatic life. Swimming in the ocean differs from swimming in a pool or lake.
• Check surf and weather conditions before you head to the beach, and stay informed while you’re there.
• Never swim alone, and don’t swim too far from shore.
• Supervise children at all times, even if they’re simply wading by the shore. A strong wave can sweep them off their feet and out to sea.
• Stay within designated swimming areas. Don’t swim near piers, pilings, platforms, docks, fishermen or tethered boats.
• Exercise caution when swimming in areas between sandbars or near steep drop-offs.
• Avoid swimming in areas with schools of small fish, which can attract predator fish. Diving seabirds indicate areas to avoid.
• Use extra caution in murky water.
• Avoid being in the water at dusk or nighttime.
• Beware of rip currents and undertow. These turbulent currents can pull you into deep water away from the beach.
• Remain calm if caught in a strong current. Swim parallel to the beach until you’re out of the current, then swim to shore.
• Heed warning flags at public beaches. Red flags mean no swimming because of hazardous conditions.
• Pack a bag with waterproof sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher), water shoes to guard feet from heat and sharp objects, plenty of water, a hat and sunglasses.
• Learn first aid and CPR. “While the above tips can help prevent emergencies, it is important to know what to do if an emergency situation arises,” Brown says.