From PDA to loud music - Are you breaking beach etiquette?

Summer's in full swing, and Kiwis are flocking to the beach. Beaches are, of course, shared public spaces — so how should we hang ten and chill on the beach while respecting our fellow beachgoers? Seven Sharp's Rhiannon McCall investigates.

We've all got different ideas about what is and isn't acceptable beach behaviour — but are there any hard rules we should abide by and avoid making a seaside faux pas?

It was a hot and windy day at Piha Beach and dotted along the sand were friends and families enjoying the surf and finding shelter under sun shades and tents.

Lifeguard Victoria Mulrennan kept a watchful eye on the sand, surf and beachgoers from the watchtower on one of West Auckland's most popular beaches. If anyone knows anything about beach etiquette, it's Mulrennan — she's been a lifeguard for 13 years and has seen it all.

As far as hard and fast beach rules go, there aren't many of them.

"Kiwis are a pretty considerate bunch most of the time," said Mulrennan.

"We'll often see a lot of rubbish being picked up, or if the tide's coming in, people love to do a quick rescue of people's gear if they're out swimming and their stuff's about to get washed away."

When we're packing for the beach, there are some items we should leave at home — inflatables being one of them.

"Large inflatable toys or air mattresses — they're really susceptible to getting completely blown out in the ocean," said Mulrennan.

"The wind can pick you up, a rip can pick you up a lot quicker than you expect. So they're [inflatables] quite dangerous out at the beach."

Along with high temperatures, tempers can flare and people can sometimes get a little hot under the collar.

"When the weather gets warm, tensions rise, and sometimes people get a little bit frustrated. We always find that a swim tends to cool things off a bit."

Some beach behaviours irk and should probably get in the sea, whether it's loud music, roaming pets or an obnoxious neighbour.

Here's Mulrennan's verdict on some of the culprits that can potentially take the shine off a seaside:

Pets

Should we take our four-legged friends to the beach?

"Yes, for sure. Depending on the local DOC or council bylaws, some beaches can have dogs and pets on them. Watch out for the hot sand if the beach does allow dogs."

Marquees

"Sun safety is super important, so as long as you're being considerate with the size of your marquee with the people around you."

Public Displays of Affection

Whether it's a kiss on the forehead, a peck on the cheek, or a passionate embrace at the beach — the best practice is to use your common sense when it comes to PDA.

"If you wouldn't do it on the street, [it's] probably not appropriate on the beach either," said Mulrennan.

Space

Respecting personal space is a big one.

"Situation-dependant, how busy the beach is that day, a good rule is if your towel is touching my towel, then we're too close to each other," noted Mulrennan.

Nudity

Is it okay to go au naturel at the beach?

"Definitely not in public spaces. There's a couple of beaches where that's more accepted, but definitely not at your public beach."

Music

"Music is appropriate, as long as you're being considerate to those around you."

Mankinis

They're arguably a major crime of fashion and one of the strangest things Mulrennan has seen at the beach.

"We only found them [mankini-wearer] because they chose not to swim at the flags. They thought it would be more appropriate for them to keep away from the public — which was putting themselves at more risk in the rip they were swimming in."

So, the the message is simple: We can still have fun in the sun, just bring your manners and leave the inflatables and mankinis at home.