A purple flag at the beach signals dangerous marine life—an often-ignored warning that could protect you from serious harm in the water

misunderstand what the purple flag really means.

“It means the beach is dangerous.”

Not exactly.

It means a specific hazard is present—not that the entire ocean is unsafe.

“If I can’t see anything, I’m probably fine.”

Unfortunately, marine life is often hidden beneath the surface.

Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

“It’s probably just continue reading …