Beach ball

A beach ball is an inflatable ball for beach and water games and other recreation. Their large size and light weight take little effort to propel; they travel very slowly and generally must be caught with two hands, making them ideal for lazy games, and for children. Their lightness and size make them difficult to use in even moderate wind.

The beach ball's invention is usually credited to Jonathon DeLonge in 1938. [Beach Balls: Facts and Trivia Online (accessed 2008-03-14)]

Design

Beach balls range from hand-sized to over 3 feet (1 m) across. They generally have a set of soft plastic panels, with two circular end panels, one with an inflation valve. A common design is vertical solid colored stripes alternating with white stripes. Some are printed with advertisements or company slogans.

Uses

Beach ball sports include water polo and volleyball. While they are much less expensive than the balls used in professional sports, they also much less durable, since, being made of soft plastic, they can be easily punctured, quickly rendering the ball useless, even with patching. Beach balls are also used in Head Volleyball. Giant beach balls may be hit around at outdoor rock concerts and baseball games.

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