Using a cane on sandy beach and in the water?

I have looked for some information and have not found any, so I'm hoping someone will be able to answer my question. I have some mobility issues and walk with a cane. I do quite well with it, but not without. We love walking on the beach, and I love to swim in the ocean. We have booked a cruise to the Southern Caribbean in November, we have done so quite a few times - pre-cane. In nearly every port we will take a cab to a beach and spend our time there.

I am concerned that our usual walking and swimming won't be possible when using the cane - any advice? Thanks in advance!

I have looked for some information and have not found any, so I'm hoping someone will be able to answer my question. I have some mobility issues and walk with a cane. I do quite well with it, but not without. We love walking on the beach, and I love to swim in the ocean. We have booked a cruise to the Southern Caribbean in November, we have done so quite a few times - pre-cane. In nearly every port we will take a cab to a beach and spend our time there.

I am concerned that our usual walking and swimming won't be possible when using the cane - any advice? Thanks in advance!

You will have trouble with a cane on sand, no doubt about it, any sand, not just the beach, it will sink in.

I have seen wider plates that go on the end of your cane, but never tried one on the beach, it may help.

Googled

'wide bottomed canes' and got http://www.fashionablecanes.com/Walking_Cane_Tips.html

No idea who they are but lots of ideas.

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Googled

'wide bottomed canes' and got http://www.fashionablecanes.com/Walking_Cane_Tips.html

 

No idea who they are but lots of ideas.

 

 

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The tri-tip was the sort I was thinking about, but not sure how they'd go.

https://www.amazon.com/SandPad-Steady-Stabilizer-Cane-Crutch/dp/B006JWPL3O

Try this

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https://www.amazon.com/SandPad-LandPad-Beach-Stabilizer-Canes/dp/B01FWIIEZ2

Single

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Googled

'wide bottomed canes' and got http://www.fashionablecanes.com/Walking_Cane_Tips.html

 

No idea who they are but lots of ideas.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

https://www.amazon.com/SandPad-Steady-Stabilizer-Cane-Crutch/dp/B006JWPL3O

 

 

Try this

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

https://www.amazon.com/SandPad-LandPad-Beach-Stabilizer-Canes/dp/B01FWIIEZ2

 

Single

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

The tips shown in the link posted by SadieN are strictly for use on hard surfaces only. OP should consult their Physician or Physical Therapist before purchasing any new tip even the sand tip shown in the links in posts #6 & #7 by Amore Familia . Reason being that a person who obviously already has a mobility issue as well as perhaps a balance issue attempting to walk on sand using a cane with any type of tip could actually cause more harm to his/her body than good.

Suggest OP research to find beaches that provide beach wheelchair rentals which would be the better and safer option for accessing the water.

I've gone to the cruise line's private beach, and even into the water, a couple of times with my cane. I do not recommend going into the water unless you have someone (preferably two) to help you get in and out.

Walking across the sand to the waterline was all right, as I could dig my cane into the sand, and it was very stable. Once I got to the shore I dug it in, and left it while I walked into the water. That's where it got tougher for me. That initial sandy area isn't as firm as the beach, so my feet sank without anything to support them, with each step. The water wasn't deep enough to support me, so down I went. I was able to swim/crawl out until the water was deep enough that there was buoyancy.

Then all was well! :) That is, until trying to come back out. Same problem with the soft sand in the water, but heading toward more and more shallow I was not able to keep my balance, and needed a friend on each side to help me back to my cane (which, fortunately, was still waiting where I left it.

The tips shown in the link posted by SadieN are strictly for use on hard surfaces only. OP should consult their Physician or Physical Therapist before purchasing any new tip even the sand tip shown in the links in posts #6 & #7 by Amore Familia . Reason being that a person who obviously already has a mobility issue as well as perhaps a balance issue attempting to walk on sand using a cane with any type of tip could actually cause more harm to his/her body than good.

 

 

 

Suggest OP research to find beaches that provide beach wheelchair rentals which would be the better and safer option for accessing the water.

The Self Standing tripod base ($19) says it's ok for sand. Seems to need a solid, not folding, cane. It won't let me link.

Obviously no idea if it'll work for OP.

Thank you all for your suggestions, I'm going to follow up, and will for sure check with my physician before doing anything. RuthC, your explanation was especially helpful, and reinforces my thoughts on how swimming might go. I think I will be able to get in OK, but getting out...I can get DH to help, perhaps I need to bring my backup cane as well, I can get it wet and sandy. I'm going to give it lots more thought, I have really missed beach and ocean time the past two years, time to get back into the groove!

The Self Standing tripod base ($19) says it's ok for sand. Seems to need a solid, not folding, cane. It won't let me link.

Obviously no idea if it'll work for OP.

Just because the website says it's ok for sand doesn't mean that it's right for the OP. None of us on CC know the OP's mobility and balance issues . A full assessment should be considered. I get it that the OP really misses walking on beaches and getting into the water but I also believe overall personal safety and having the proper mobility equipment so as not to cause other harm to the body has to be the first priority. That's why it's important that the OP discuss this with their Physical and or PT before purchasing anything. The PT may actually have a better option for the OP.

The SandPad seemed a little expensive to me, so I searched some more and found: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J4B5VH8/

I just ordered this for a late Sept./early Oct. cruise and will try to remember to come back here and let you know how it goes.

I don't know if you're open to this, but you can check to see if the beach has beach wheel chairs available.

Some beaches have those beach wheel chairs with big fat tires to roll across the sand. I just returned from Florida and saw lots of them there. Even saw an electric scooter chair with big tires for use on sand. Years ago they had chairs at Labadee but I'm not sure which line you are cruising with. That was on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

The SandPad seemed a little expensive to me, so I searched some more and found: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J4B5VH8/

 

I just ordered this for a late Sept./early Oct. cruise and will try to remember to come back here and let you know how it goes.

Wanted to update you all on this, if you're interested. IT WORKS! I just got back from 8 1/2 days on the Valor (yes, we were delayed at Port Canaveral) and I used it on the Eastern Caribbean beaches and it performed very well.

I left a review on Amazon, which I will copy and paste here for those needing more info:

I use a cane for walking any distance longer than a few steps, so they've become part of my life. However, a regular cane is useless on certain types of terrain, such as a sandy beach. I found out the hard way two years ago when I visited the beach on vacation and was pretty much forbidden to walk in sand at all because the slender tip on my cane just punched right into the sand, not providing any stability at all. Bummer.

So for my upcoming cruise visiting several Caribbean beaches, I went looking for a solution. And found this product. Hooray! It works on sand! It is not too large and bulky but gives just enough surface contact to provide stability even on soft, shifting sand. I was thrilled to be able to at least walk on the beach in my bare feet, get my toes wet in those gorgeous turquoise blue Caribbean waters, and still remain upright. Yeah!!

However, it isn't perfect. It fits two different sizes of cane tip ends, and I guess my cane was the smaller tip size because if I use this attachment on my cane on solid ground, there is definitely some "play" involved which can be difficult to adjust to. And yes, it does look like you're walking around leaning on a plunger. :D But that slight embarrassment was a small price to pay for actually being able to walk the beach again!

So I suggest this only be used on the wider cane tip to ensure a very tight fit, otherwise you'll get some "looseness" that is a bit disorienting when you're not used to it. It is also hard to remove once installed properly, so my folding cane could no longer be folded if I wanted to switch to a regular one for solid ground. Nevertheless the benefits are amazing if you can deal with the rest, so a solid four stars for this product and I will probably purchase it again unless I find another such attachment that does an even better job.

Thank you all for starting this thread and posting advices. I am a full time cane user, and wouldn't know otherwise about this cane extension for sandy surfaces.

Glad you found something that worked for you and made your trip more enjoyable.

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My hubby uses a hurrycane (it has 3 pads instead of 1). We tried it out on a Long Island beach and it was stable. We are headed to the Caribbean next month with it.

I have had mobility issues for 9 years now, following a disastrous fall. In short, I have a " fixed knee" meaning one that doesn't bend or pivot. I require at the very least, a cane to walk. I travel to Florida a lot and love to walk on the beach. I find it easier to use 2 canes, and at least one a tri tip like a hurry cane to do it. I did try walking sticks but did not find them to be stable in the sand.

When we travel to the Caribbean beaches, whether on land or a cruise. I use an aluminum walker to enter and leave the water. Before I go on vacation I go to the Salvation Army and get one. They usually have at least 10 or 20 at each location and they just ask for a nominal donation($2-$5). You can take this lightweight walker folded up on any plane or cruise ship with no trouble. It allows you to walk stablely across the sand and supports you getting in the water. I just leave it in the shallows or have my husband or another beach goer take it up on the sand. Someone then brings it to me to support me getting out. If I am alone I can put my beach chair through the top rungs of the walker to get it down to the sand.

The best part is that when I am finished with the cruise or vacation I leave it on the ship or at the hotel for someone else to use it. I have done this at least 25 times in the last 9 years and have never had trouble. If I have people with me I try to use a noodle when I am in the water to lend more stability! I refuse to let mobility problems keep me from the beach or the ocean!

The SandPad LandPad is your best bet. Parallel usage on and off the beach. Check out the video!

I have looked for some information and have not found any, so I'm hoping someone will be able to answer my question. I have some mobility issues and walk with a cane. I do quite well with it, but not without. We love walking on the beach, and I love to swim in the ocean. We have booked a cruise to the Southern Caribbean in November, we have done so quite a few times - pre-cane. In nearly every port we will take a cab to a beach and spend our time there.

I am concerned that our usual walking and swimming won't be possible when using the cane - any advice? Thanks in advance!

impossible to do for me. not even the 'wet' parts where the shifting underneath is minimal. best you can hope for is getting one of the beach friendly wheelchairs with the oversized goofy tires. all the private islands have them, right as you get off the tender/pier.

The tri-tip was the sort I was thinking about, but not sure how they'd go.

they don't.

maybe something like a ski or other wide flat bottom, but even then I'd be leery of shifting sand as you press down with your weight

I did remember something our local beach has just installed: a permanent boardwalk that crosses over the dry sand and gets you almost to the high tide line.. its designed for wheelchairs, but is stable flat surface. its an accessible to the water itself, it doesn't meander down the beach for a leisurely stroll