夏天去哪里玩呢?海边是一个很好地选择!如果你去海边沙滩，就要学习这些单词哦!

　　Off to the beach this summer? Then you’ll need some beach vocabulary

　　The school holidays have started here in the UK and this weekend will see many families fly off to sunnier countries to catch some of those rays and to luxuriate in warm sea waters.

　　Having just returned from an idyllic two weeks in Barbados with its white sandy beaches and turquoise blue waters, I can totally empathise with the excitement that will be felt across households as families pack their suitcases remembering to take with them their swimsuits – trunks for boys and men; bikinis, tankinis, one-piece swimsuits for girls and women; their beach towels; shorts;T-shirts; light summer dresses; sparkly sandals; flip flops; sunglasses (or shades) and many more items.

　　Of course, we mustn’t forget to take our suntan or sunscreen lotions with us. Years ago, people used to go on a beach holiday and not bother with sun protection. They would lie in the sun for hours on sun loungers and by the end of the day some of them would look like the colour of lobsters (bright red) or worse still, suffer from sunstroke. It’s good to know that with all the publicity about the real dangers of skin cancer, more people are using sun protection. Depending on the colour of your skin, you will decide on the level of protection (sun protection factor SPF) that you need. For example, SPF 50+ gives you maximum protection against the sun whilst SPF15+ the least protection. I remember years ago you could get SPF 4+ which in my opinion hardly gave you any protection.

　　So armed with sun protection, swimsuits, beach towels and all the right clothes for a beach holiday, what are you going to do?

　　Are you the sort of person who likes to lie by the beach on a sun lounger or towel soaking up the sunshine (sunbathing) whilst listening to music or reading the latest summer novel?

　　Or are you the sporty kind who enjoys swimming, doing water sports like kayaking, windsurfing, sailing, boogie boarding, surfing, jet skiing?

　　I like a mixture of sunbathing and swimming. I will occasionally do some snorkelling. I normally borrow someone’s mask, snorkel and fins. I did some snorkelling in Barbados and got to see some of the most colourful fish I’d ever seen. We also bought some “noodles” which are a kind of floater that allowed us to float in the sea and enjoy being in the water whilst chatting. The floaters also made it a lot easier to stay in the water for longer as we didn’t have to keep swimming. It was heavenly.

　　Some people enjoy walking along the beach. I especially like sandy beaches. I am not so fond of pebbly or rocky beaches as it is much harder to walk on them. If I do have to walk on those beaches I use special swim shoes. What can I tell you, I have sensitive feet!

　　David, my husband, loves building sandcastles in the sand. He can spend hours creating such masterpieces as a giant hand, a dolphin, a racing car. He often gets an appreciative audience of young children looking on as he works. The children are often armed with their buckets and spades and always keen to give him a helping hand.

　　One of the highlights of any beach holiday, though, must be sipping a cocktail (my favourite is a mojito /mohito/) at a beach bar whilst watching the sunset. Bliss.

　　That’s it, I’m booking my next beach holiday right now.