Most visitors to Miami's beaches notice the colored flags on lifeguard stands without really knowing what they mean, which is a shame, because the system is simple and genuinely useful.
Green means calm, low-hazard conditions. Yellow signals moderate surf or currents, caution warranted, especially for weaker swimmers. Red means high hazard, typically strong currents or rough surf, and double red generally means the water is closed to swimmers entirely. Purple, flown alongside any of the above, warns of dangerous marine life like jellyfish.
Conditions can shift over the course of a single day, a beach can go from green in the morning to yellow or red by afternoon as wind and tide change. It's worth a quick look at the flag when you arrive and again if you've been out of the water for a while.
A strong pool swimmer can still be caught off guard by ocean conditions the flags are warning about. It's a different environment, and the flag system exists because of that.
Ocean-ready swimming is a different skill set than pool swimming. We can help build both.
See Teen Program