Beach First Aid Kit: Pack This, Skip That

Nobody wants to spend any part of their beach week dealing with a cut foot, a jellyfish sting, or a kid who’s had too much sun. But if you’ve done enough summers at the Shore, you know it’s not a matter of if something happens…it’s when.

A well-packed beach first aid kit won’t ruin your vacation when something does.

I’ve been putting together our beach first aid kit for years now, and at this point I’ve got it down to a science. Not so big that it takes up the whole beach bag, but complete enough that I’ve actually used almost everything in it at least once. Here’s what goes in ours every summer.

The Container: Start Here

Before you worry about what goes in the kit, think about what’s holding it. The beach is a terrible environment for first aid supplies — sand gets into everything, and if your kit is anywhere near the water line, moisture can ruin bandages and damage medications.

A waterproof zipper pouch is the way to go. I use a brightly colored one (easier to spot at the bottom of a packed beach bag) with a sturdy seal. Some people prefer a hard-sided waterproof case, which protects things like scissors and tweezers from getting bent or broken. Either works, just make sure it’s not a flimsy sandwich bag situation.

The Basics: Cuts, Scrapes, and Boardwalk Feet

This is the stuff I’ve gone through the most over the years. Between the boardwalk, the jetty rocks, and kids who refuse to wear water shoes, cuts and scrapes are basically guaranteed.

• Adhesive bandages in multiple sizes — include a few larger ones; a standard Band-Aid won’t cut it for a decent boardwalk scrape
• Waterproof bandages — regular ones peel off the moment your kid goes back in the water, and they will go back in the water
• Gauze pads and rolled gauze — for anything bigger than a bandage can handle
• Medical tape — holds gauze in place when you need it to stay put
• Antiseptic wipes — for cleaning out a wound before bandaging; sand in an open cut is miserable
• Antibiotic ointment — Neosporin or the generic equivalent; apply before bandaging
• Saline wound wash or saline packets — great for flushing sand out of cuts and eyes; more thorough than plain water
• Tweezers — for splinters, shell fragments, or anything else that needs to come out of someone’s foot
• Round-tipped scissors — for cutting tape or gauze; don’t bring the good kitchen shears

Sun and Heat: The Real Hazards

Sunburn is the most common thing that goes wrong at a beach vacation, and it’s also the most preventable. I always have extra sunscreen in the kit even though we pack it separately in the bag.

Reapply at least every two hours, and every time after swimming. SPF 30 is the minimum; I prefer SPF 50 for the kids.

Don’t forget the back of the knees, the tops of the feet, and the ears, all places we’ve learned the hard way.

Reapply at least every two hours, and every time after swimming. SPF 30 is the minimum; I prefer SPF 50 for the kids. Don’t forget the back of the knees, the tops of the feet, and the ears, all places we’ve learned the hard way.

For when the burn happens anyway:

• Aloe vera gel — the refrigerated kind feels incredible; we keep a bottle in the rental fridge at the end of every beach day
• After-sun lotion — helps with peeling and keeps skin from drying out completely
• Ibuprofen or acetaminophen — sunburn is inflammation; pain relievers genuinely help

Beyond sunburn, heat exhaustion is something to take seriously at a full-day beach. Worth including in your beach first aid kit planning even if it’s not a “supply” per se. Signs that someone needs to cool down immediately include heavy sweating, dizziness, nausea, weakness, and clammy skin.

Get them out of the sun, give them cold water, and use an instant cold pack if you have one. If symptoms don’t improve quickly, or if someone stops sweating and feels very hot to the touch, that’s heat stroke — call 911.

Pack these for heat:

• Instant cold packs — activated by squeezing; good for sprains and overheating; I keep two in the kit
• A digital thermometer — for fevers that show up mid-vacation; not beach-specific, but you’ll be glad you have it

Jellyfish in New Jersey: What You’re Actually Dealing With

Jellyfish sting treatment is one of those things everyone thinks they know and most people get wrong. Before we get to what actually works, it helps to understand what jellyfish in New Jersey waters you’re likely to encounter.

The ocean beach and the bay are two very different situations, and the species that lives in one rarely shows up in the other.

The Ocean Beach: Lower Risk Than You Think

If you’re swimming at the Seaside Heights ocean beach, jellyfish are not something to lose sleep over. The species you’re most likely to see washed up on the sand are harmless to humans. The first, moon jellyfish (clear, dinner-plate shaped, with fine fringe tentacles that can’t penetrate skin). And the other is the mushroom cap jellyfish (creamy white, firm, looks exactly like an underwater mushroom). Neither can sting you. If your kids find one on the sand, they can look but still better not to handle it.

The species that actually sting lion’s mane, sea nettles do occasionally appear in ocean water, but they’re far more common in the bay. Portuguese man o’ war shows up very rarely along the Jersey Shore ocean, but it does happen. So it’s not zero risk in the ocean, just low. Swim near a lifeguard, keep an eye out for anything translucent floating nearby, and you’ll be fine.

Barnegat Bay: A Different Situation

The bay is where you need to pay more attention.

Sea nettles are common in Barnegat Bay and have been a real nuisance in recent summers. Their sting is painful but not dangerous for most people — think of it as a bad bee sting. Kids especially notice them.

Clinging jellyfish are the more serious concern. They’re tiny — about the size of a dime — which makes them easy to miss. But their sting is no joke: each one has 60–90 tentacles loaded with neurotoxins that can cause severe pain. They prefer shallow, calm, vegetated areas. They’ve been found in Barnegat Bay, the Metedeconk River mouth, and areas around Brick and Toms River. The NJDEP maintains a live tracking map at njdep.nj.gov.

The good news: clinging jellyfish don’t like open sandy beaches or heavily used swimming areas, and their numbers tend to drop when water temperatures rise above 82°F. This usually happens around the Fourth of July.

Jellyfish Sting Treatment: What Actually Works

Most of the advice floating around about jellyfish sting treatment is either incomplete or flat-out wrong. Here’s the correct sequence:

1. Get out of the water calmly — no running, which can spread venom faster.
2. Rinse the sting with salt water — not fresh water, not bottled water. Fresh water causes the stinging cells to fire more venom.
3. Apply white vinegar to stop remaining cells from firing. NJ lifeguards recommend it; pack a small bottle in your kit because you can’t always count on the stand having it.
4. Remove visible tentacles with tweezers or the edge of a credit card — never bare fingers.
5. A heat compress applied afterward can help break down the venom proteins.
6. Oral Benadryl and calamine lotion help manage the itch as it heals.

One thing not to do: Urine does not treat jellyfish stings. It makes things worse. Just skip it — this myth has been thoroughly debunked by NJ marine biologists.

If the sting is from a clinging jellyfish, or if symptoms escalate beyond local pain — difficulty breathing, muscle cramping spreading beyond the sting site, nausea, dizziness, facial swelling — seek emergency care. Ocean Medical Center in Brick is the nearest full ER to Seaside Heights, or call 911.

Kit additions for jellyfish:

• Small bottle of white vinegar
• Tweezers (already on the list, but doubly important here)
• Benadryl or generic equivalent
• Hydrocortisone cream (which is also good incase of a yellow jacket sting)

Bug Bites and Skin Irritation

Greenhead flies are a real thing at the Jersey Shore, and mosquitoes come out in the evening near the bay. Bug spray with DEET is the most effective option; for younger kids, check the concentration — the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than 30% DEET for children, and the product should not be used on infants under 2 months.

• Bug spray — pack it in the kit for beach days that run into sunset hours
• Hydrocortisone cream — for itchy bites, skin irritation, and mild allergic reactions
• Calamine lotion — an old standby that still works great on bites
• Antihistamine — oral Benadryl for anything that swells up more than usual; if anyone in your group has a known severe allergy, make sure their Epi-Pen is with them and that other adults know how to use it

Medications: What We Pack for a Full Week

We have a separate small pouch for medications that stays inside the kit. Everything stays in its original packaging — that matters if you need to identify something quickly, and it avoids any confusion with dosing.

For our family a typical summer week at Seaside includes:

• Ibuprofen and acetaminophen — both, in adult and children’s doses; useful for sunburn pain, headaches, and sore muscles from too much beach volleyball
• Antacid tablets — a week of boardwalk food catches up with everyone
• Anti-diarrheal medication — Pepto-Bismol tablets travel better than the liquid
• Antihistamine — as mentioned above; Benadryl or a non-drowsy option depending on the situation
• Eye drops — saltwater and sun irritate eyes; a basic saline eye drop is very soothing
• Motion sickness medication — if anyone in your group gets it, pack it; helpful for the drive down too

If anyone in your group takes prescription medication, keep a list of all medications, dosages, and allergies in the kit. If something happens and someone else needs to help, that list matters.

A Few Things People Forget

These are items that aren’t in most “first aid kit” lists but that I’ve wished I had on the beach:

Moleskin or blister pads. Sandals that felt fine at home become blister machines after a few days of boardwalk walking. A sheet of moleskin can save a vacation.

A small flashlight. If something happens at the beach after sunset — the boardwalk lights don’t reach very far — a small pocket flashlight is surprisingly useful.

Phone charger or portable battery. Not exactly first aid, but your phone is your contact point for emergencies. A dead phone at 9pm on the beach is a real problem. Keep a portable battery in the beach bag.

A basic first aid reference card or the Red Cross First Aid app. The American Red Cross has a free app with step-by-step first aid instructions, including CPR guidance. Worth downloading before you leave home.

Urgent Care Near Seaside Heights

Even with a solid beach first aid kit, some things need professional attention. A few options close to the Shore:

Barnabas Health Urgent Care – Toms River is the nearest urgent care to Seaside Heights and handles non-emergency injuries, infections, and wound care. Call ahead or check their website for current hours.

Ocean Medical Center in Brick is the nearest full emergency department for anything more serious.

For any life-threatening emergency — suspected heart attack, severe allergic reaction, major trauma — call 911. Don’t wait.

A Quick Note on Storing the Kit

Heat destroys medications. Don’t leave the kit in the car during a hot beach day — the interior of a parked car in July can hit 130°F or more, and that degrades anything in there. Keep it in the beach bag in the shade, or back at the rental when you’re not heading out.

And before you leave home, check expiration dates. This is the thing I always forget until I’m standing in the kitchen with an open kit the night before we leave. Expired bandages are mostly fine. Expired medications are not. Twenty minutes of checking now saves a pharmacy run on vacation.

A Simple Packing List

For easy reference, here’s the full list in one place:

Wound care: adhesive bandages (multiple sizes + waterproof), gauze pads, rolled gauze, medical tape, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment, saline wash, nitrile gloves, round-tipped scissors, tweezers

Sun and heat: extra sunscreen (SPF 30+), aloe vera gel, after-sun lotion, instant cold packs (x2), digital thermometer

Jellyfish: small bottle of white vinegar, hydrocortisone cream, Benadryl

Bites and irritation: bug spray, calamine lotion, oral antihistamine, Epi-pen if applicable

Medications: ibuprofen, acetaminophen (adult + children’s doses), antacids, anti-diarrheal, eye drops, motion sickness meds, prescription medications list

Extras: moleskin/blister pads, small flashlight, portable phone battery, Red Cross First Aid app (downloaded)

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a first aid kit at the beach if there are lifeguards?

Yes. Lifeguards handle emergencies — drowning, cardiac events, serious trauma. They’re not stocked to deal with a cut foot, a jellyfish sting, a sunburn, or a kid with a splinter. Those are yours to manage, and they happen constantly. A small kit handles 95% of what actually goes wrong on a beach day.

What’s the most important thing to put in a beach first aid kit?

Waterproof bandages and white vinegar cover the two most common beach-specific problems — cuts and jellyfish stings. If you’re only adding a few things to a basic kit before a trip to the Jersey Shore, start there.

Are there jellyfish in New Jersey ocean water at Seaside Heights?

In the ocean, the jellyfish in New Jersey you’re most likely to see — moon jellyfish and mushroom cap jellyfish — are harmless and can’t sting humans. The species that do sting, like sea nettles and the much more serious clinging jellyfish, are primarily a Barnegat Bay concern rather than an ocean beach concern. If you’re wading in the bay, especially near vegetation or river mouths, that’s where to be more cautious. The NJDEP maintains a live clinging jellyfish tracking map you can check before any bay swimming.

Can you treat a jellyfish sting with urine?

No. This is a persistent myth that actually makes stings worse — urine contains enough water to trigger remaining stinging cells to fire more venom. Rinse with salt water, apply white vinegar, and remove tentacles with tweezers or a credit card edge.

How do I keep medications from getting ruined at the beach?

Don’t leave your kit in the car. On a hot summer day the interior of a parked car can reach 130°F or more, which degrades medications quickly. Keep the kit in your beach bag in the shade, or back at the rental when you’re not heading out. A waterproof, sealed pouch also protects against humidity and any water splashes.

Should I pack children’s doses separately from adult doses?

Keep them in the same kit but clearly labeled and in their original packaging — that’s the fastest way to confirm the right dose in a stressful moment. If you have young kids, a measured medication syringe or dosing cup is worth adding so you’re not guessing. A written list of each family member’s medications, allergies, and dosages tucked into the kit is smart, especially if another adult might need to help.

What should I do if someone has a severe reaction at the beach?

Call 911. For a severe allergic reaction — difficulty breathing, throat tightening, hives spreading across the body, facial swelling — use an Epi-pen if one is prescribed and call immediately. For suspected heat stroke (hot dry skin, confusion, stopped sweating despite heat), get the person into shade, cool them down with whatever is available, and call 911. Ocean Medical Center in Brick is the nearest full emergency department to Seaside Heights.

Is a pre-made kit from the drugstore good enough?

It covers the basics — bandages, gauze, antiseptic wipes — but it won’t have the beach-specific items: white vinegar for jellyfish stings, waterproof bandages, instant cold packs, aloe, or bug spray. Use it as a starting point and add from there.

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