Plop. Splash. Plunk. Those quintessential summer sounds -- made when bare skin meets fresh water -- come in rhythmic waves at Shady Oak Beach, from boys and girls waiting their turn, then climbing the big ladder and taking the plunge off the high-dive.

Plenty of diversions fill the grounds of this Minnetonka beach and its park: a sand volleyball court, a new playground with slides that look like hollow logs, canoe and paddleboat rentals, a concession stand with corn dogs, smoothies and enough ice cream treats to freeze the brain just trying to decide which to buy. But none is as enticing as the diving dock: a long, wood-plank platform raised on pilings and flanked by two diving boards -- one low, one high.

Teens and tweens dominate the expanse, climbing the ladders that ring the structure, jumping off the sides if the wait is too long for a diving board, or shaking off water during the wait for that half-second fall into the supremely refreshing, clear water of the spring-fed lake.

Mothers and tots claim their own territory. Women smelling of Coppertone stretch out on the grassy slope sandwiched between the brown-shingled lifeguard and concession buildings. It's the perfect perch for watching children in the shallows -- and enjoying the beach without having to contend with sand.

One recent day, two sisters dug a moat around a sand castle where their Barbie mermaids (one purple, one pink) held court, placed atop turrets. A girl in a ruffled swimming suit sat at a table by the concession stand, shaded by a yellow-and-blue umbrella, nibbling a hot dog. A boy got a watery ride as he clung to his mother's one-piece while she swam.

After a lifeguard break -- when visitors wait on shore while the red-suited set take a cooling dip -- a voice over the loudspeakers said, "Thank you for your cooperation. You may now slowly and safely reenter the water."

A dozen gleeful swimmers splashed in even before the first sentence reached its conclusion. They were racing to the high-dive.