Myrtle Beach's 'umbrellas only' rule went into effect on Memorial Day

From Memorial Day until Labor Day, only certain umbrellas will be allowed on the beach in the Myrtle Beach city limits.

WMBF reports only circular umbrellas measuring up to 7 ½ feet in diameter are allowed in-line with or behind the established umbrella line.

Tents, shading devices and umbrellas that are larger than 7 ½ feet in diameter are not allowed during the summer. The only exception is infant tents that are no larger than 4 feet wide by 3 feet deep and 3 feet high.

The umbrellas-only policy was created in 2014 when there were so many tents and shading devices that they blocked access and visibility to the water’s edge.

The rule means Myrtle Beach beachgoers can't use a popular North Carolina product, the Shibumi Shade, which was invented by three University of North Carolina Chapel Hill graduates who wanted to create something that worked with beach breezes rather than fighting against them.

The first Shibumi Shades were sold in 2016, and the product’s popularity has since taken off. It only weighs 4 pounds and is easier to transport than a classic umbrella.

Umbrellas have caused accidents on the beach. Last August, a woman was killed after being impaled by a beach umbrella in Garden City, South Carolina.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that there were roughly 2,800 unconfirmed beach umbrella-related injuries between 2010 to 2018.