Article: Find a place to lay out your towel and spend some time looking around, enjoying the sun. Scan the area for attractive girls, but do so in a friendly, non-leering manner. If you catch a girl's eye, nod and smile or say hello, and then go back to looking around. Make sure to look over again in a few minutes to see if she is checking you out. Strutting up and down the beach or posing on your towel might get you looked at, but isn't likely to score you a date. Girls will find you more attractive to you if they see you out playing and having a good time. Get up a game of catch with your friends. Go for a swim. Fly a kite. Start building a sandcastle. If you run into a girl during any of these activities, take the opportunity to strike up a conversation. Get up a game of Frisbee or catch with your buddies, or begin building a sandcastle. If you see a girl watching you, give her a smile and wave her over to join you. If she smiles back, but doesn't come over right away, jog over and ask her if she'd like to play. Sometimes a girl will act shy and say "no," or "I don't know" but in a coy way that suggests she'd really like to play. If this seems like the case (smiling and giggling are good indicators) give her some encouragement. "Oh, come on, you'll be brilliant!" or "I'll bet you throw a great spiral" would both work well. If she says "no" and does not look amused or inviting, take the hint and let her be. You won't receive any positive attention by being pushy or aggressive. Another way to get a girl's attention while playing is to accidentally overthrow a ball, or miss a catch so that your ball or Frisbee lands near the girl and you have to approach her to retrieve it. Use this as an excuse to say hi and start a conversation. (You might start with, "Sorry about that, the sun was in my eyes." Or "My friend can't throw to save his life . . . ") Try to make sure your ball doesn't land right on the girl or knock over her stuff. There is a fine line between endearingly clumsy and just plain irritating. Crashing a kite near a girl can also be a good ice-breaker, but make sure that you are actually in control of the kite, and don't hit her. Bring a cooler full of ice-cold water bottles with you to the beach. If you see a girl you are interested in, you can walk up to her and say "Hi, I noticed you looked hot and I've got some extra waters here. Would you like one?" If she says yes, give her one, and then extend your hand for a handshake and tell her your name and go from there. ("Hi, I'm Brad, what's your name?") This is a popular gambit for meeting girls at the beach, but it requires ditching your buddies and going it alone. After you've spotted a girl you are interested in, gather up your stuff and ask her if she'd mind watching it for a few minutes while you take a quick swim or surf. ("Hi, I was hoping to take a quick swim, and was wondering if you'd be willing to look after my stuff.") If she agrees, thank her, and consider saying something funny like "Be careful, I've heard there are some vicious sunscreen thieves on the loose today." Do go out and swim or surf for a good 20 minutes before returning. When you get back, thank her and playfully ask her if she had any trouble, or had to fight off any sunscreen thieves. Be sure to tell her how much you appreciate her help, and take the opportunity to begin a longer conversation. If things are going well, ask for her number. Better yet, ask her what she's doing later tonight. If she doesn't have plans, make arrangements to meet up with her in a few hours. There is an age old cliche that the best way to meet a girl at the beach is to walk up and offer to rub sunblock on her back. 99 times out of 100, this is going to come across as creepy or sleazy, and get you shunned or even slapped! If you see a girl nearby who is applying sunscreen, you can Try to make eye contact and give her the opportunity to ask you for help, but don't ogle, and don't approach her unless you get some indication (a smile, a wave, an actual request: "can you help me?") that she wants you to come over. Also avoid the "can I adjust your bathing suit?" gambit. This is an approach advocated on several online dating sites that is almost guaranteed to fail spectacularly. Remember that touching a girl who does not wish to be touched is sexual harassment! Don't touch a girl or her swimsuit without her express verbal permission.

What is a summary?
Get the lay of the land. Look like you're having fun! Invite the girl to play. "Accidentally" lose your Frisbee or ball near the girl. Offer the girl a bottle of water. Ask the girl to guard your stuff. Don't be the sunscreen creep.