Outdoors · Facts & sources
4 sourced facts about beaches, beach safety and the beach economy, each with the context behind the number. 4 more are in today's round and appear here after it closes.
Answerabout 71 per year
Rip currents are the leading cause of beach lifeguard rescues and a leading cause of surf-zone drowning deaths in the U.S.
Source: NOAA, via Wikipedia: Rip current (2022) en.wikipedia.org
Answer5,010
Blue Flag certification is an internationally recognized eco-label for beaches and marinas that meet environmental and safety criteria.
Source: Wikipedia: Blue Flag beach (2024) en.wikipedia.org
Answer69
That single-year figure was close to, but slightly under, the ten-year average for U.S. rip-current deaths.
Source: NOAA, via Wikipedia: Rip current (2022) en.wikipedia.org
Answermore than $2.6 billion
That spending represented roughly a fifth of all U.S. beach-replenishment spending, despite New Jersey having only about 1% of the U.S. coastline.
Source: Wikipedia: Beach nourishment (2022) en.wikipedia.org