The combination of sand and wind that is common on a beach can be harmful.

The sand can get into the camera and damage the lenses and sensors.

There are quite a few different approaches:

1. Don't take a camera to the beach I think this is far too extreme, without risk there is no reward
2. Don't take an expensive camera to the beach plausible, but still a little much for me
3. Take your camera but take good care of it
   • make sure to keep it covered as much as possible (gallon sized zip-locks are your friend) and clean it as good as you can when leaving. When cleaning, try to blow any sand/dust off before you wipe it off (think about sandpaper).
   • avoid changing lenses while on the beach, if you need to change lenses, go inside a car/building/somewhere secluded to avoid letting grit inside the body.
   • use a uv filter to protect the lens (some will argue with this, but a damaged filter is much cheaper than a damaged lens)
   • Do Not place your camera in the sand (also avoid touching it with sandy hands)
   • Avoid putting a camera bag down in the sand, because once the sand is in the bag, it will be hard to get it out.
4. Don't worry about it, just go ahead and take some good pictures. This is the photojournalist approach... if you get good enough shots, you can pay to repair/buy new equipment.

I think option 3 is the best, do what you can to take care of the equipment, use a single lens if possible, and take some good pictures.