If you ask any photographer, the two worst enemies of your camera are sand and water. Need I say more? So one of the worst things you can do is to take your camera to the beach! In this age of digital photography there really is nothing worse than getting sand and/or water in your camera. But if you do find yourself at the beach with a camera my only advice is to be careful. Bring a towel with you and keep the camera packed in the towel or in a plastic ziploc bag. Avoid people who are fooling around and throwing sand and water. And perhaps you should have considered that expensive zoom lens I recommended way back?

Also, there has been a popular urban myth that if you drop your equipment in salt water all you have to do is to soak it in fresh water? All I’m going to say is “For the LAST TIME, IT DOESN’T WORK!” If you drop your gear in water, any kind of water, only a sacrificial offering to the photo gods might work; and if it does please send me the details so I can post it! (and send the pictures documenting the sacrafice too!)