How to Install a Beach Umbrella So It Doesn’t Fly Away!
On hot summer days, a beach umbrella feels like a lifeline until it turns into a flying hazard. Ed Quigley of Richmond, Virginia, knows this all too painfully.
While at Bethany Beach, Delaware, on July 7, 2015, a gust lifted an unsecured umbrella that struck him in the head, penetrating his left eye and brain cavity.
How to Install a Beach Umbrella So It Doesn’t Fly Away!
Although resuscitated, he lost his eye, taste, smell, and ability to paint.
Quigley has since become an advocate for umbrella safety, presenting to Atlantic coast towns and educating the public.
He cites U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission data showing over 4,000 injuries nationwide from beach umbrellas over the past decade and at least one death in Virginia Beach.
This past Spring, Quigley stopped by many Cape May County Town Halls to talk about his experience and to give tips on how to secure your beach umbrella.
As I used to work for Billy’s Beach Service, which are the chair and umbrella stand on the beaches, I figured I could give you tips from my time there and the suggestions that Quigley gave us.
At the bottom of this article is a video showing you how to install an umbrella properly. Scroll down to watch!
Safe-Use Tips in Four Words Each
- Insert pole 16 inches
- Angle the umbrella into the wind
- Pack sand around the base
- Close when not used
These simple reminders help prevent umbrellas from becoming dangerous projectiles.
While common practice holds that burying the pole about 16 inches is enough, engineers involved in beach umbrella safety find this method “ineffective, obsolete and extremely dangerous.”
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In 2024, the American Society for Testing and Materials issued standards stating that beach umbrellas must remain secure in winds up to 30 mph, and that anchoring systems for a standard 7.5-foot canopy must provide at least 75 pounds of resistance, along with warning labels and tested compliance devices.
There are new suggested beach umbrella install tools such as Umbrella Bases. – The beachBUB All-In-One Beach Umbrella System is one of those products (not sponsored).
It is a heavy-duty, ASTM-compliant setup designed to securely anchor umbrellas in sandy conditions, providing superior wind resistance up to 44 mph.
It features a patented ULTRA Base filled with sand for stability, reinforced canopy construction, and easy installation tools for quick, safe setup on the beach.
Quigley warned Wildwood commissioners that in a 30 mph wind, a beach umbrella becomes like “a javelin with a sail on it,” requiring significant weight to prevent lift off. He emphasized that screw anchors often fail and that weighted sand anchors, when filled properly, offer more effective protection.
He suggests this product and so far with the testing, it is the winner by far,
Below is our video showcasing how to install an umbrella properly. Before you watch, please consider subscribing!