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Beach etiquette - selection of "your spot"
Beach etiquette - selection of "your spot"
The discussion in my other thread regarding some poor behavior on the beach reminded me that I wanted to post this to collect opinions:
When arriving at a beach (especially STJ or other peaceful relaxing place and not South Beach), how do you go about selecting your spot when there are other people on the beach to consider?
a) how close is too close to other people
b) placement of you and your stuff in relation to others
c) others?
I bring this up because on at least two occasions we had people (on beaches that had open space) park their stuff either within 10 feet of us, or directly between us and the water. I just thought it a bit odd. I probably sound like the polite police, but common courtesy and respect of others is just one of my pet peeves I guess. My mom would be proud.
When arriving at a beach (especially STJ or other peaceful relaxing place and not South Beach), how do you go about selecting your spot when there are other people on the beach to consider?
a) how close is too close to other people
b) placement of you and your stuff in relation to others
c) others?
I bring this up because on at least two occasions we had people (on beaches that had open space) park their stuff either within 10 feet of us, or directly between us and the water. I just thought it a bit odd. I probably sound like the polite police, but common courtesy and respect of others is just one of my pet peeves I guess. My mom would be proud.
KT
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cypressgirl
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dtenel
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- Location: My feet are in Michigan....My heart is in St. Thomas
Personally, I try to stay as far away from others as possible. I do not like to sit close enough to hear others conversations, or them mine. Also, I am a smoker and try to be considerate of others, so that is another reason I like to seclude myself. ( BTW....I ALWAYS take care of my cig butts as well 
). I think that it is very rude to sit between someone else and the water...unless they are WAY back from it......or there is absolutely no other place to go.
). I think that it is very rude to sit between someone else and the water...unless they are WAY back from it......or there is absolutely no other place to go.
This is an interesting topic and one that is near and dear to my heart.
This is also the primary reason I am happy to get up REALLY early and head straight to the beach in order to have my pick of spots.
Given the fact that we are often the first people on the beach I generally (if it's a small beach) head to the end so that we have rocks or foliage to one side thus eliminating (by half) the potential for folks invading our space.
Other than that we bring the GIANT neat sheet and just find a spot a good distance form anyone and set up.
Generally I find that most folks on STJ are respectful of space especially at the beaches that do not have "facilities."
Sadly I think most folks are used to East Coast beaches that are overly crowded and only inches between people's spots to spare. This, I believe, accounts for most of the poor beach etiquette IMHO.
People are used to hand to hand combat when it comes to fighting for their territory.
TRUE STORY:
One time we were on Jumbie and all the way at the left hand side. No one else was on the beach when we got there.
This one couple arrived (stil no one else onthe beach except us - and now them) was lookng for a spot and started heading in our direction.
This was totally understandable, but when I realized they had every intention of coming to set up shop RIGHTNEXTTOUS, I simply sat up and look over at one of my female travelling companions and told her to follow my lead.
The wife was in front, her husband behind her carrying all their crap and they were probably 15 feet away.
I looked at my friend and smiled and we both whipped our bathing suit tops off at the same time.
The wife just stopped dead in her tracks and turned around almost running into her husband screaming at him to "Go back. Go BACK!!!" He was completely confused and she didn't want him looking at us.
Needless to say they set up all the way at the other end and we happily put our tops back on.
Now I'm NOT suggesting this guerilla tactic is for everyone... but it was effective...after all LESS IS MORE
This is also the primary reason I am happy to get up REALLY early and head straight to the beach in order to have my pick of spots.
Given the fact that we are often the first people on the beach I generally (if it's a small beach) head to the end so that we have rocks or foliage to one side thus eliminating (by half) the potential for folks invading our space.
Other than that we bring the GIANT neat sheet and just find a spot a good distance form anyone and set up.
Generally I find that most folks on STJ are respectful of space especially at the beaches that do not have "facilities."
Sadly I think most folks are used to East Coast beaches that are overly crowded and only inches between people's spots to spare. This, I believe, accounts for most of the poor beach etiquette IMHO.
People are used to hand to hand combat when it comes to fighting for their territory.
TRUE STORY:
One time we were on Jumbie and all the way at the left hand side. No one else was on the beach when we got there.
This one couple arrived (stil no one else onthe beach except us - and now them) was lookng for a spot and started heading in our direction.
This was totally understandable, but when I realized they had every intention of coming to set up shop RIGHTNEXTTOUS, I simply sat up and look over at one of my female travelling companions and told her to follow my lead.
The wife was in front, her husband behind her carrying all their crap and they were probably 15 feet away.
I looked at my friend and smiled and we both whipped our bathing suit tops off at the same time.
The wife just stopped dead in her tracks and turned around almost running into her husband screaming at him to "Go back. Go BACK!!!" He was completely confused and she didn't want him looking at us.
Needless to say they set up all the way at the other end and we happily put our tops back on.
Now I'm NOT suggesting this guerilla tactic is for everyone... but it was effective...after all LESS IS MORE
Last edited by Gromit on Wed Jul 22, 2009 10:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
*Another fine scatterbrained production
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Teresa_Rae
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This issue has become a bigger and bigger deal to us as STJ has been getting more and more crowded. We do our best to set up as far away from other people as possible and it would be nice if everybody else did the same. It is amazing to me that there can be a quarter mile of empty beach to each side and people will still set their stuff down on top of yours. I'm not anti-social but I like some personal space when there is a plethora of beach available.
We had this issue at Maho, Hawksnest, Francis, and Cinnamon this year.
A few weeks ago we got to Cinnamon early in the morning when the beach was empty so we knew we would insulted by people invading our personal space. There was SO MUCH empty space but people kept setting up close to us, and then other people would come and set up between us and the original offenders so they were practically on our Neat Sheet, eating our lunch, reading our books over our shoulders, and spooning with us. Upon arriving at the beach my husband always does a sweep for litter in our area and cleans up any trash, the vast majority of which is cigarette butts. That morning at Cinnamon he probably spent a good hour walking up and down the beach collecting hundreds of cigarette butts. Then a few hours later a couple set up right on top of us and the husband smoked and blew smoke into our faces and "buried" his butts. Do some people think that it does not count as littering if you bury it under a quarter inch of sand? There are few things that make me fume as much as littering.
We had this issue at Maho, Hawksnest, Francis, and Cinnamon this year.
A few weeks ago we got to Cinnamon early in the morning when the beach was empty so we knew we would insulted by people invading our personal space. There was SO MUCH empty space but people kept setting up close to us, and then other people would come and set up between us and the original offenders so they were practically on our Neat Sheet, eating our lunch, reading our books over our shoulders, and spooning with us. Upon arriving at the beach my husband always does a sweep for litter in our area and cleans up any trash, the vast majority of which is cigarette butts. That morning at Cinnamon he probably spent a good hour walking up and down the beach collecting hundreds of cigarette butts. Then a few hours later a couple set up right on top of us and the husband smoked and blew smoke into our faces and "buried" his butts. Do some people think that it does not count as littering if you bury it under a quarter inch of sand? There are few things that make me fume as much as littering.
Let us live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
- Mark Twain
- Mark Twain
I'm a huge stickler for polite beach behavior. Like Gromit, we are up early and at the beach to have our pick of spots. Last week when Salt Pond had maybe 12 people on it, we were like, oh, it's getting crowded!
We always pick a spot far away and make sure we don't block anyone's view of the water. Trunk seems to be the place for the worst offenders, but we've had it happen at Maho too. Once we even picked up all our stuff and moved. I agree the giant neat sheet helps keep people at a distance and I love the guerilla tactics!!
We always pick a spot far away and make sure we don't block anyone's view of the water. Trunk seems to be the place for the worst offenders, but we've had it happen at Maho too. Once we even picked up all our stuff and moved. I agree the giant neat sheet helps keep people at a distance and I love the guerilla tactics!!
Because we’re acutely aware of it, I actually wonder if folks like us who go to the Jersey Shore are less likely to do beach crowding than somebody from a landlocked state. On STJ, we've only had issues with cruise sheeple at Trunk.
The ones who are clueless about beach spacing are probably the same people who move over but speed up when there is a short passing lane.
And, sorry, but since the idiots who bury them in the sand ruined it for you responsible smokers, cigarettes should be banned from every beach – those filters contain all sorts of toxins and take forever to break down.
Mini-rants over!
The ones who are clueless about beach spacing are probably the same people who move over but speed up when there is a short passing lane.
And, sorry, but since the idiots who bury them in the sand ruined it for you responsible smokers, cigarettes should be banned from every beach – those filters contain all sorts of toxins and take forever to break down.
Mini-rants over!
Last edited by jmq on Wed Jul 22, 2009 1:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Wow...I guess I did hit a sore spot with others on this. The fist thing that got to us was when a group of 2 young ladies plopped down directly between us and the water at Cinnamon. If the water was 20 or 30 yards away, no big deal...but when they are putting their heads away from us (laying downhill toward the water) because otherwise I probably could have fed them grapes. So now that you have a mental image of the proximity when I could have thrown, or even used a slingshot, said grapes and not hit the next people to our right.
Had I been in my early twenties and single I might not have complained even though they had been rude about where they camped, but they would have still ticked me off then! Just sayin'.
Had I been in my early twenties and single I might not have complained even though they had been rude about where they camped, but they would have still ticked me off then! Just sayin'.
KT
You cannot control what other people do--there are so many folks out there who just don't care a bit about whether they are bothering you. So, to avoid people on the beach, it is important to pick your spot carefully.
It is nice to go to Cinnamon and set up near the ruins and not have to walk so far, but everyone else is thinking the same thing, so if you want your own spot you have to keep on walking, all the way down the beach. At Trunk, we walk as far to the left as we can. Everybody else is crowded around the cay and lifeguard station. At Francis, the quietest spots are all the way to the right. At Maho, we try and get one of the spots that are enclosed by trees on both sides so there's not enough space for someone to set up next to us.
I'm antisocial on the beach. I admit it.
Oh, and I'll join jmq in the anti-cigarette butt rant. Cigarette butts are just as disgusting as any other beach litter. If you smoke on the beach, why can't you put your butts in an empty beer can and take it with you when you leave? Is it really that hard?
It is nice to go to Cinnamon and set up near the ruins and not have to walk so far, but everyone else is thinking the same thing, so if you want your own spot you have to keep on walking, all the way down the beach. At Trunk, we walk as far to the left as we can. Everybody else is crowded around the cay and lifeguard station. At Francis, the quietest spots are all the way to the right. At Maho, we try and get one of the spots that are enclosed by trees on both sides so there's not enough space for someone to set up next to us.
I'm antisocial on the beach. I admit it.
Oh, and I'll join jmq in the anti-cigarette butt rant. Cigarette butts are just as disgusting as any other beach litter. If you smoke on the beach, why can't you put your butts in an empty beer can and take it with you when you leave? Is it really that hard?
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
I recall I had a great statistics professor in college who liked the beach and used examples of the way people park themselves in certain patterns as they fan out from the entrance to explain certain kinds of distributions (he would probably say that Liamsaunt and Gromit fall outside of the standard deviation, but we all know that already).
He also cited the way the way seagulls will space themselves when standing at the waters edge to describe another kind of distribution.
He also cited the way the way seagulls will space themselves when standing at the waters edge to describe another kind of distribution.
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide