Cuba on the beach

In the long, sticky Cuban summer, keeping cool is serious business.

Each day, and especially on weekends, thousands of Havana residents rise early to make the trek from rural hamlets and stuffy urban neighborhoods for the more forgiving atmosphere at the island's powdery beaches. Temperatures in the capital can reach as high as 31 degrees Celsius (87 degrees Fahrenheit) in July and August, with humidity hovering above 80 percent.

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APTOPIX Cuba On The Beach

In this Aug.10, 2014, photo, people get ready to swim in the ocean as they arrive to Guanabo beach on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. Each day, and especially on weekends, thousands of Havana residents rise early to make the trek to the country's powdery beaches. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) 

Cuba On The Beach

In this Aug 10, 2014, photo, youngsters prepare to jump from the of old railway bridge into the Matanzas river mouth, in Matanzas, Cuba. Daredevil teenage boys leap from a rusty, 30-foot-tall railroad bridge, yelling encouragement to each other. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Cuba On The Beach

In this Aug 17, 2014, photo, a man with a tattoo on his arm of revolutionary hero Ernesto "Che" Guevara walks along the beach with his daughter on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. Cuba's Meteorological Institute said recently the island had recorded its third-hottest July since 1951, including unusually warm mornings, weak sea breezes and relatively scarce rains that provide at least temporary relief from the suffocating weather. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Cuba On The beach

In this Aug 23, 2014, photo, a drawing of a shark is seen in the sand of Boca Ciega beach on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. Each day, and especially on weekends, thousands of Havana residents make for the country's powdery beaches. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Cuba On The beach

In this Aug 23, 2014, photo, people try to keep their drinks out of the water while they are swept by a wave while bathing in the ocean on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. Each day, and especially on weekends, thousands of Havana residents rise early to make the trek to the country's powdery beaches. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Cuba On The beach

In this Aug 23, 2014, photo, people enjoy the cooling waters of the Caribbean, while spending the day at the beach on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. Cuba's Meteorological Institute said recently the island had recorded its third-hottest July since 1951. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

APTOPIX Cuba On The Beach

In this Aug. 9, 2014 photo, a Cuban mariachi band performs along the shore of Boca Ciega beach on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. The band roams the sand, serenading young lovers and sweet -15 "quinceaneras," every Saturday and Sunday. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Cuba On The Beach

In this Aug 11, 2014, photo, people carry a plastic inflatable pool on the roof of their car on their way back home from the beach on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. Each day, and especially on weekends, thousands of Havana residents rise early to make the trek from rural hamlets and stuffy urban neighborhoods for the more forgiving climes of the country's powdery beaches. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Cuba On The Beach

In this Aug 17, 2014, photo, a young man jumps from the top of old railway bridge into the Matanzas river mouth in Matanzas, Cuba. Daredevil teenage boys try to impress girls by leaping from the rusty, 30-foot-tall railroad bridge. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Cuba On The beach

In this Aug 23, 2014, photo, people enjoy the cool waters of the Caribbean spending the day at the beach on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. In the long, sticky Cuban summer, keeping cool is serious business. Cuba's Meteorological Institute said recently the island had recorded its third-hottest July since 1951. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Cuba On The Beach

In this Aug. 9, 2014 photo, people spend the day at the beach, seen through the windshield of a vehicle, on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. When it's running, many people take a special summer train to the beach from Havana to Guanabo, east of the capital. Others families squeeze into 1950s classic American sedans, and some neighbors pool their money and hire a bus to travel en masse. Others clamber onto covered horse-drawn carriages. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Cuba On The Beach

In this Aug 10, 2014, photo, people return from the beach in a horse cart on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. Vacationers clamber onto covered horse-drawn carriages that take them a few miles down a dirt track to the coast for just 2 pesos a head, or about $0.08. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Cuba On The Beach

In this Aug 23, 2014 photo, a person waves along with other waiting on the bus to return home after spending the day at the beach on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. Each day, and especially on weekends, thousands of Havana residents rise early to make the trek from rural hamlets and stuffy urban neighborhoods for the more forgiving temperatures at the island's powdery beaches. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Cuba On The Beach

In this Aug 10, 2014, photo, several couples relax on the water drinking a rum and chatting at the mouth of a river on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. As dusk nears, couples sit in the shallows sipping rum and enjoying a romantic sunset snog. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Cuba On The beach

In this Aug 23, 2014, photo, beach goers ride a bus on the return trip back to Havana after spending the day at Boca Ciega beach on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. Each day, and especially on weekends, Havana residents pool their money and hire buses to travel to the beach en masse. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Cuba On The Beach

In this Aug 17, 2014, photo, people walk towards the beach after leaving the train that brought them from the capital to a nearby beach of Havana, Cuba. Many Cubans take the special summer train from Havana to the beach in Guanabo, east of the capital. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Opening text from the AP article AP PHOTOS: CUBANS TREK TO BEACH TO COOL OFF. 

Lead Image Caption: In this Aug. 9, 2014 photo, people ride on horseback as others swim in the cool Caribbean waters of Mi Cayito beach, on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. Cuba's Meteorological Institute said recently the island had recorded its third-hottest July since 1951, with an average of 28 degrees Celsius (about 82 degrees Fahrenheit) for the month of August. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

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