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A Surf Photographer's Beach Bag Essentials
As a professional surf photographer, Cait Miers spends more time by the ocean than most. So it's safe to say, she has her beach bag nailed. From her go-to SPF and salty hair saviour, Cait shares her must haves for a day on the sand.
Caitlin Miers
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Hey, can you hear that? The soft cicada hiss getting louder and louder.
The air, sweet and warm, giving you a long hug after a cold winter. That smile creeping across your face.
Yeah, it’s spring. My favourite time of the year.
It’s like we forgive so easily all the cloudy winter days as soon as the sun starts kissing our skin.
We forget how much we love the beach until it’s forced back into our lives, and we wonder how we went a few months without it.
With this change in temperature, comes a change in routine.
The beach has entered the chat.
You might go looking for last summers beach bag only to find it covered in cobwebs and amass with leaking sunscreen.
Yep, been there and done that.
It’s time for an update my friends.
I’m going to fill you in on what is usually in my beach bag, and maybe that’ll inspire you to spend a bit of time preparing yours.
Let’s start with the bag. My go-to is always a basket.
Sand can go through it, they’re easily cleaned and they look damn cute.
You can usually pick these up at any health food store or local market.
My favourite sunscreen is the Standard Procedure SPF 50+. It does the job every single time. I pop it on pre-surf and pre-tan and it lives in my beach bag. Not to mention the design is super nostalgic.
I use this for my body, but pop on Hunter Lab SPF50+ Facial Sunscreen on my face.
I always use different sunscreens for body and face as the skin on our face is a lot more sensitive and needs different care.
I have recently purchased a Kindle, and I honestly don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner. They. are. simply. the. best.
I now no longer have to position myself awkwardly to hold my book up as I lay on the beach, I can read in the shallows without worrying, AND it’s lightweight. My kindle lives in my beach bag.
Another must-have in my beach bag is hand cream.
The salt definitely dries out my hands and if I’m down the beach for long periods of time I like to make sure they’re nice and moisturised.
I love Leif Buddha Wood Hand Balm.
Along with my favourite towel and a hat, the last things in my beach bag are always a hair brush and leave in conditioner.
I’m constantly going from the beach or surf straight to dinner, cocktails or events and I basically get ready in the back of my car.
If I know I have something on straight after the beach, I’ll actually have a shower and wash my hair before going in the water, head to the beach, then afterwards have a light rinse at the shower, put a bit of leave in conditioner in, brush it, then let it dry naturally.
I find it goes nice and wavy, but not greasy as it’s freshly washed.
It’s funny to think about the beach bag being something of significance, but it really truly is. We forget how those little things can make our experience at the beach just a little more comfortable and enjoyable.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to look after our skin in the sun.
I feel like I didn’t realise this until only a few years ago, and now I’m so conscious about covering up in the sun, especially my face.
The beach, for me, keeps me grounded and fresh.
It’s my place of solitude and thinking, but it also represents somewhere to be social and chat deeply about life with friends.
I’ve never lived too far from the coast, and I don’t think I ever will. It’s an ingrained part of my world and I thank my lucky stars every day we get to enjoy such beauty in its purest form with our beaches here in Australia.
I hope you feel a little more inspired to gather your beach bag and get ready to hit the sand this summer.
I feel like it’s in our blood to be drawn to the ocean as Aussies, so get out there and enjoy it!
Caitlin Miers
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