Welcome to an intense workout in North Africa. We all love the sun, beach and surf! But be aware that this is Africa and the sun is very strong. On top of that your are going to do a lot of heavy exercising when surfing. When you are exposed to high temperatures during exercise heat exhaustion develops quickly. Your wetsuit might protect most of your body from a sunburn but your head is exposed to the sun and heat all day long, so the risk of becoming dehydrated is big. Read about the signs of sunburns, sunstrokes and dehydration and how to prevent!
You don’t want to waste your holiday in bed while the surf is pumping.
SIGNS OF SUNBURN
Red skin that’s warm to touch
Intolerance of warm water
Skin discolouration
Blisters. These can take a few days to develop.
Feeling of the flu (feverish with chills, nausea, headache and weakness)
SIGNS OF HEAT EXHAUSTION
From severe or prolonged exposure. This is worsened by dehydration and can be a medical emergency.
Tiredness
Feeling of the flu (feverish with chills, nausea, headache and weakness)
Vomit
Rash
No sweating (due to severe dehydration)
Muscle cramping (due to severe dehydration)
PREVENTION
The best treatment for dehydration is prevention. Dehydration caused by heat exposure, too much exercise, or decreased water intake is generally easy to manage, and outcome is excellent. Read our tips on how to prevent;
1. MAKE SURE TO DRINK WATER BEFORE AND AFTER YOU ENTER THE WATER
We bring enough water for everyone to beach, don’t be shy and claim your own bottle, or bring one from home. This way you can check how much water you drank that day. Drink at least 1,5 litre a day (1 bottle) to prevent dehydration.
2. WEAR SUNBLOCK & ZINC CREAM
Use a high SPF and waterproof cream when you preparing to go for a surf. Give it time to soak in before you go in. The stronger the better. Remember that SPF declines as the product ages so check the use by dates.
Use Zinc cream for nose and forehead. Zinc is the highest SPF available. The bright colours makes you feel like a kid putting on face paint. Available at our surf shop.
Stay under the umbrella's at lunch break
Roxy's loving the water bottles too!
3. TAKE YOUR LUNCH BREAK IN THE SHADOW
We bring umbrella’s to the beach. Lunchtime is the hottest time of the day, take these 2 hours for your break from the sun. Relax a bit, enjoy your lunch and make sure to drink a big amount of water.
4. WEAR A CAP/HAT
You head is mostly in the sun, especially when in the water. When you can, wear a cap so the exposure to the sun is lower. Also for surfing there is a variety of caps available that have special cords to prevent losing it. We sell different kind of caps in our shop if you did not bring your own.
Forgot your cap? We sell them in the shop
Zinc sticks are the best for surfers
5. COOL YOUR HEAD
When you are coming back from the beach and want to take a nice hot shower, remember to always cool your head with cold water after. If you feel nauseous and a headache coming up, take a cold wet towel and wrap it around your head. Take the time to relax a bit in your room and let the ocean breeze enter your room.
Seems like a solid plan, but If in any case you do end up with heat exhaustion or sunburn, keep cooling your body and add ORS (sugar and salt Oral Rehydration Solution) to your drinking water. If you don’t have any prepared packets available you can also make this yourself, using 6 level teaspoons (25,2 grams) of sugar and 0.5 (2.1 grams) teaspoons of salt in 1 litre of water. Usually after 1 day you will feel better.
Good luck, enjoy the surf and prepare yourself for hot days!
