Kid’s Book on Beach Safety

Teach the Beach is a great new book by extreme swimmer Donald Walsh of Spring Lake Heights.

Donald Walsh grew up on the Jersey Shore and, as a child, couldn't be kept out of the water. In fact, he still can't. He's been swimming in the ocean every month for the past 158 months in a row, for a total of over 13 years!

At the age of 17, Don became an ocean lifeguard with numerous rescues to his credit over the years.

An avid open water swimmer, Don has been competing in ocean races for over three decades in distances from one mile up to 6.2 miles.

Don has coached at the club, high school, and college levels, in addition to spending six years coaching triathletes.

Don has been mentoring Special Warfare candidates for the Navy SEALs teaching Combat Side Stroke.

This book is intended to provide guidelines so that families may enjoy the ocean safely. Don says if his book saves the life of one child it's wroth everything to him.

Don suggests (as do I, after reading the book) that parents read this book to their young children. The whole family will get educated about water safety at the beach, and there are things in this book that even I didn't know!

Here's the book's premise:

Join the Sands family as they head out for a wonderful summer vacation at the beach. Sonny and Suzie and their two children, Sean and Summer, along with their hamster, Gidget, head for Wit's End, a cozy cottage close to the ocean in Seaside Delight. Excited to play in the surf, Sean and Summer race to the beach where they meet Donnie Dolphin and his friends: Aaron the Seal, Ray the Stingray, and Ringo Starfish. Over the next several days, as the children play on the beach and swim in the water, they learn some important lessons about the ocean's changing tides and currents. Their new friends are good teachers and they have lots of helpful advice. But Sean and Summer learn a few things the hard way, too. Fortunately, lifeguard Justin Tyme is always paying attention and the ocean friends also come to the rescue. Even Sonny and Suzie learn some water safety tips. Bt the end of the summer, Sean and Summer are able to pass along what they learned about safe swimming to other children at the beach.

Teach the Beach offers valuable information about how to safely enjoy swimming at the shore.

The book is illustrated with some pictures that you will recognize if you live near the Manasquan Inlet, by Lorraine Dey, who has lived along the Jersey Shore since she was 15. And she still lives here.

Teach the Beach is dedicated to the memory of Aaron Carson Vaughn, an Elite Navy SEAL who was killed in 2011 when a Chinook chopper carrying 30 American troops was shot down in Afghanistan. Aaron had just celebrated his 30th birthday and leaving behind two young children.

You can purchase Teach the Beach at BookTowne on Main Street in Manasquan or online at BarnesandNoblecom or Amazon.com.