These five things will ruin your beachcapping experience. Beachcapping at South Padre Island is an absolute must if you appreciate the beauty of the Texas coast. Today I want to share the top five reasons that may ruin your visit. These are only my personal opinions formulated from past experience. So here we go starting with the least risky at number five. The wildlife. When you come to the beach the only animals you see are coastal birds, crabs and if you're lucky, maybe a pot of dolphins. In reality, this ecological system is home to thousands of species. In the water most people think of sharks but they forget about the animals that are more likely to cause injury like stingrays and jellyfish. You may be in needy water and then encounter with one of them can end your trip fast. On the beach however, you may be susceptible to mosquitoes and horse flies eating you up in the evening. So consider bringing some insect repellent and what won't sting you may bite you. I didn't see it at first I just heard hissing and then I looked down and wondering and it's like looking at me and I'm just like I just walked away slowly. In a rare instance we had one encounter where my daughter nearly stepped on a sneaky rattlesnake, well camouflaged just a few steps away from our truck. Luckily the snake rattled its tail warning my daughter to stay away thus avoiding a terrible accident. So make sure you watch where you're stepping. The cover of darkness brings out other animals native to South Pottery Island. Yup there was this huge coyote right here and he wouldn't leave so apparently he went to town on camp. That's our fault for not putting away food for not. Make sure you put away your food and secure your pets before you go to sleep. Hungry coyotes may raid your camp while you're sleeping you're 10. I've never heard of a coyote attack but you don't want to be the first king. At number four is you. Your lack of preparedness may get you into trouble. underestimating any risky situation is probably not the smartest thing to do. Signs are posted at the entrance of V-Tax of 6 suggesting you should probably have a proper 4x4 vehicle when driving on the beach. Sometimes that isn't enough so make sure you know how to properly engage and safely operate your vehicles for my forces. You can't tell you how many times I've seen trucks and jeeps buried in the sand and their drivers not knowing how to engage 4x4. Also make sure you identify your vehicle's recovery points and bring some sort of gear that will help you get out and you get stuck. You're going to be able to do the job a lot better with something like this. I have several videos where I talk about recovery ropes so I welcome you to check them out. It's also a good idea to bring an alternate source of communication such as a radio since there is limited to no mobile phone signal out here. A first aid kid helps too so make sure it's complete and bring it with you. At number three I'm going to include washed up debris. The ocean's currents are constantly bringing in all sorts of debris from other parts of the world. You can be mining your own business driving on the beach and then bam! You hit something. Don't speed and keep it now out for logs, pallets and just about anything you can imagine. Sometimes there is wood material when nails in it and can easily puncture your tire. It's so easy to miss some of the beach logs since they can get covered in sand. Running over any of these may cause significant damage to your tire and even your cars under belly. Okay guys, that is not right. A syringe. Look at how everybody's all barefoot out here. Barefoot? Barefoot syringe. I make sure you get that toothbrush so somebody's trying to toothbrush syringe. Good God man. Keep in mind that washed up trash may include sharp objects so consider wearing footwear when walking closer to the dunes. Number two will have to go to careless drivers and just irresponsible human behavior in general. South Potter Island and Pins are so isolated that they may give people a sense of freedom to pretty much do whatever they want. However, local, state and federal laws still apply out here when you're driving on the beach. Unfortunately, some people get behind the wheel under the influence and that's what crazy things can happen. Some people want to test their cool rigs out here and can end up causing an accident. Keep a close eye on your kids and pets. Some drivers will refuse to go around your shoreline camp because they're trying to avoid the softer sand. Stopping or maneuvering on sand is different from pavement so the chance of an accident is always greater. At night, when you set up camp closer to the dunes, you may consider leaving the bright light on to make your campsite more visible to drivers. You don't want a drunk slamming into your tent. I have never had a bat encounter but there could be criminal activity in the area. So perhaps having the means to defend yourself or your family is wise. Friends, if you made it to my number one choice, please consider subscribing, liking and sharing this video. Your support matters and encourages me to bring you more content like this. By now, you've probably already guessed the number one spot. Yes, it goes to Mother Nature itself. Come on, Jesus, help us. This is wacky for me. This is wacky for me. Yes, the weather. I can't think of any other place in deep south Texas where the weather is more important than South Padre Island's coast. I mean, pick your poison. It could be the wind. It could be rain. A storm. A cold front. I mean, pretty much anything can cause major headaches out here. Shifts in climate can cause the ocean tides to reach up into the dunes. It can be a scary situation and something I'm quite familiar with. If you know there is a cold front coming or stormy weather is in the forecast, just stay closer to the entrance or postpone the trip altogether. I assure you, getting landlocked at the east cut will not be fun and you'll probably end up traumatizing your family. The prolonged exposure to the heat was taking a toll on my health. I didn't realize it until later, but I had every single symptom of a heat stroke. I stopped what I was doing and continued to hydrate and cool down in my truck. In the summer months, temperatures will soar and the heat will impact your health if you're not careful. So make sure you wear plenty of sunscreen and stay hydrated. If you're staying overnight, make sure your tent is properly ventilated and consider bringing a fan if you want to stay comfortable. So what did you think about my top five picks? Do you agree with them? If you have anything to add, I want to hear all about it down below. Thanks for watching and get up, get out, do something.