Myrtle Beach City Council approves new beach rules about surf fishing, hole digging and children's tents

It’s official:  you can’t dig a hole deeper than two feet on the beach, and no holes can be left unfilled!  At last week’s meeting, City Council updated the beach rules to include one that says you must fill in any holes you dig before leaving the beach.  Here’s how the revised text reads…

“To help prevent personal injury and to allow public safety, emergency and beach cleaning vehicles to conduct necessary activities on the beach while minimizing the risk of damage to equipment, it shall be unlawful for any person to dig a hole or trench on the beach and then depart the area of digging without having first filled such hole or trench.   No hole or trench on the beach shall be deeper than two feet.”

Council also prohibited the use of metal shovels for recreational digging.  City Council updated the rules about surf fishing, too, giving swimmers the priority and the right-of-way over those wishing to fish from the beach.  Here’s how that reads…

“It shall be the responsibility of the person fishing to maintain a minimum distance of 50 feet from per-sons in the water. Persons in the water shall have the right-of-way….  Fishing shall not be permitted in front of any franchisee’s established umbrella line.”  (The state requires a fishing license when fishing from the surf, but not when fishing from an ocean pier.)  

And Council expanded the definition of a shading device for children.  The new size allowed for infants and kids is a bit larger than before, with maximum dimensions of four feet wide, three feet deep and three feet high.  However, canopies and tents any larger are prohibited from Memorial Day through Labor Day.  During those summer months, the city has an “umbrellas only” policy.

These changes in the beach safety rules were recommended by the city’s Beach Advisory Committee.