Sea Isle's Beaches in "Great Shape" for Summer

Visitors who headed down to Sea Isle City for the Memorial Day weekend got a sneak preview of the beaches for the summer tourism season.

Mayor Leonard Desiderio says the beaches are in “great shape” for summer, including better pathways to make it make it easier to walk over the dunes without getting bogged down in deep sand.

In a report to City Council on Tuesday, Desiderio described the steps Sea Isle has taken to get the beaches ready.

”Our beaches are in great shape for the summer, and our Public Works Department has gotten our beach accesses prepared for the season to make walking over the dunes a little easier,” he said.

Preparations for the summer include putting most of the beach access mats in place, he said.

“Most of our beach access mats are in place, and the (Public Works) department will continue to work to keep these mats as clear as possible,” Desiderio said.

The plastic mats lie on top of the sand, providing an easier transition from the gravel pathways over the dunes to the beaches. They are sometimes referred to as “mobi-mats.”

    Beach mats make it easier to cross over the deep sand.
  

Seniors, small children, people with disabilities and families lugging strollers to the beach are helped by the mats. Every summer, local residents and visitors urge the city to install more mats to make their treks across the sand even smoother.

However, storms and windy conditions typical of the shore often push too much sand on some of the pathways and on top of the beach mats. Desiderio promised that the Public Works Department will stay on top of things to keep the beach mats clear of sand.

“Every year we face the challenge of a dynamic beach environment with shifting sands, that can make the walk to the beach somewhat difficult,” he said.

Previously, sections of Sea Isle’s beaches and dunes have been severely eroded by winter’s coastal storms. The waves literally washed away huge amounts of sand. In some cases, the beaches were stripped of the top layer of powdery sand and the dunes were sheared away to create steep, cliff-like edges.

But last year, a beach replenishment project added a total of 932,000 cubic yards of new sand to the shoreline from 73rd Street to 94th Street in the south end of the island and from 29th Street to 53rd Street in the central part of town. The fresh sand widened the beaches and restored the dunes.

“The fact is, with the good thing that is a healthy, wide beach that provides great shore protection and a beautiful recreational environment, comes a longer walk to the ocean,” Desiderio said.

    Lifeguards Michael Montgomery, left, and Pat Scannapieco protect the beachgoers at 40th Street.
  

As part of the summer preparations, Sea Isle has begun placing lifeguards at popular beaches. Desiderio urged beachgoers to swim only at areas protected by lifeguards.

For the coming weekend, guarded beaches will be at the following streets: 34th, 40th, 43rd, 51st, 59th, mid-block between 64th and 65th, 75th, 81st, and mid-block between 86th and 87th.

Heading into the peak summer season, the number of guarded beaches will increase to nearly 30 locations by June 22, Desiderio said.