How To Keep Your Stuff Safe At The Beach: 7 Tips To Prevent Theft
One of the best parts of a beach day is getting in the water and enjoying the waves, but that also means leaving your belongings behind. Whether it’s your phone, wallet, or sunscreen, keeping your valuables from getting stolen can be tricky. With the right strategies, though, you can minimize the risk of theft and ensure your things are secure while you’re swimming, playing in the sand, or just soaking up the sun. In this guide, we’ll cover useful tips on how to keep your stuff safe at the beach, so you can enjoy a worry-free and relaxing day by the sea.
If you are in a hurry, there is a key takeaway of how to protect your valuables to have a stress-free experience:
- First, streamline what you bring; leaving expensive gadgets at home means there’s less to worry about.
- If you’re with others, consider taking turns in the water to keep an eye on your things.
- Setting up camp near lifeguards adds an extra layer of safety, as thieves tend to shy away from these areas.
- For peace of mind, use waterproof pouches to carry small valuables into the water with you.
- Avoid the temptation to display expensive items openly and, instead, hide them in creative ways, like under a towel or inside a beach cover-up.
- To truly secure your belongings, consider investing in an anti-theft bag or a portable safe that can stay locked while you’re enjoying the sun.
Although no option is 100% safe, these simple yet effective strategies will help keep your belongings secure, letting you fully enjoy your time by the water. To learn more details of each point, keep reading the article!
Limit What You Take To The Beach With You
The best way to prevent theft at the beach is to leave everything at home or in your hotel room you don’t need. Of course, you must carry some essential beach equipment, but most of your expensive everyday devices are replaceable with classic, cheap stuff. Your trip to the beach will be less worrying if you reduce the risk of beach theft by not bringing too many valuables to the sand.
For example, don’t bring your e-reader. If you want to read, buy a magazine or hit a free library and take a new-to-you book with you. Some money will be necessary, but not your whole wallet. Just put your cash and maybe a prepaid bank card in a waterproof key holder or waist bag that you can always have with you.
Remove all your jewelry at home. It is very easy to damage or lose your precious rings and necklaces, especially when you go swimming, so the best thing to do is leave them at home. If you still want to look chic and stylish, consider wearing pieces you don’t mind losing. For example, instead of a big and sensitive DSLR camera, bring just a small waterproof camera or GoPro that you can take into the water with you.
Watch Your Gear By Taking In Turns Or Ask Other Beachgoers To Do It
If possible, go to the beach with friends or family so you can take turns getting in the water, and there will always be someone who keeps an eye on your gear. Of course, this is not a solution if you are alone or need to be in the water with your kids. In such cases, it could be an option to ask others seated nearby to watch your belongings while you are away.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to decide who is trustworthy, so try to watch others around you and strike up a conversation with people who give you a good feel. People tend to seek families with kids or elderly couples who usually don’t mind such favors.
Set Your Beach Camp Near A Lifeguard Tower
Thieves usually avoid monitored areas, so creating your camp space within easy visibility of the beach cop or the lifeguard tower is always a good idea. However lifeguards will not watch your valuables, setting your towel down in front of them can reduce the chance of becoming a beach theft victim.
If you have only a small bag of stuff you want to keep safe while you go for a refreshing swim, you can ask them if they allow leaving it in their tower. It is always worth asking!
Take Your Valuables In The Water With You
Going into the water with your electronic devices might have sounded crazy a few years ago, but not these days. Certain phones and compact cameras are waterproof without any additional cover and can be fully submerged without damaging them. If your device is not waterproof, putting it into a watertight case will do the job.
- waterproof pouch with triple seal protection that is certified up to 32 feet (10 meters) underwater for one hour
- conveniently hides valuable possessions, keys, money and IDs to protect your privacy
- can hold smart phones as large as iPhone12 Pro Max and still provides plenty of room for other items
Small items such as keys, ID and bank cards, you can carry the key in a waterproof pouch over your swimsuit. If you have more things to bring with you that won’t fit into a waist pouch, get a bigger floating waterproof dry bag that can hold more things.
Don’t Leave Your Expensive Belongings On Display
Do not advertise your costly items when you are at the beach; this advice may sound too obvious, but leaving valuables on display is still a basic mistake we make. If you carry something expensive, such as an e-reader or a tablet, learn some tricks to hide your valuables.
Stash your pricey things under a towel, inside a beach coverup or in the lining at the bottom of your beach bag. Another old yet practical trick to prevent theft at the beach is wrapping your valuables in a clean but crumpled disposable diaper that most likely no one will touch.
Alternatively, you can also reduce worries about where to put your valuables at the beach by hiding things in plain sight. Take an old bottle of sunscreen and cut off the bottom so it flaps open, rinse it out, and let it dry thoroughly. Your phone may fit in here with some cash and your ID. Use a bit of plastic tape to close it up and leave it lying face up on your towel or blanket.
You can do the same with an empty juice bottle or Pringles tube too, but if you prefer ready-to-use solutions instead of these DIY options, get yourself a water bottle with a storage compartment.
Invest In An Anti-Theft Beach Bag
Most people think that if they pack all their assets nicely in their bag when going into the water or to the beach bar, they can keep their stuff from getting stolen, but in fact, opening a bag and removing some items is an easy job for even an amateur thief, while a professional one might walk away with it without no one -except the owner- noticing that it does not belong to her/him.
Therefore, instead of buying a classic tote to carry your beach essentials, get an anti-theft bag. Such products come with lockable zippers, are slash-proof, and can be fixed to structures like a table or sun lounger so you can put your mind at rest so that unauthorized people can’t access your belongings.
Get A Portable Safe Or Chair Lock Box
To hide valuables, getting a beach safe is another great option if you just want to keep smaller things like phones, keys and cash secure. A portable safe can be a small locking bag you place your valuables in and lock either with a combination lock or padlock, but there are also special safe boxes that you can easily attach to the back of a lounge chair or umbrella.
- beach lock box with key or 3-digit code combination access
- lightweight and compact for traveling, but strong and spacious enough to keep your valuables safe
- made of impact-resistant abs plastic, with heavy-duty flexible steel cable and rust-resistant nickel-plated lock
Some hotels already provide such lock boxes so their guests can enjoy their pool or beach time with peace of mind, but the best is if you get your own and bring it anywhere you go. Thanks to its small size, you can take it on planes and in your carry bag.
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