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OC Beach Blog ~ The latest news on all things along the 42 miles of beach in Orange County, Calif.

Archive for the 'lifeguards' Tag

Lifeguards put up red flag warnings as swell hits hard

August 27th, 2009, 6:02 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

The hurricane swell that rolled in today caught many people off guard - including lifeguards who didn’t anticipate the surf to be as strong as it was as this blistering heat sent people to the shores for relief.

Laguna Beach Marine Safety Capt. Tom Trager said surf rose to 8 feet in Laguna Beach today, and lifeguards had to put up a red flag warning - which means inexperienced swimmers need to stay out of the water.

The beach warning will continue through tomorrow, with surf and rip currents expected to be just as strong.

“We had a lot of lifeguards working hard to prevent people from getting in trouble, and educating them on why today wasn’t their day,” Trager said.

Forecasters have been predicting for the swell to taper off today, but then it hit harder and stronger than expected. Hurricane swells send waves in at close intervals, slamming the shore one after the other and making it difficult for swimmers. Though there will be a slow decrease over the weekend, there will still be strong waves that beach-goers need to be aware of.

“The message we want to put out to people is: Unless you’re an experienced ocean swimmer with two fins, then we’d prefer you wait for another day to get into the ocean,” he said. “It’s a pretty significant swell we’re having.”

Scuba diving will also be restricted this weekend, and people will be prevented from going onto rock jetties. The yellow and red flag warnings will continue through the weekend in Laguna Beach.

Newport Beach lifeguard Capt. Jim Turner said lifeguards there put up red flags as well.

“I was hoping things were going to lay down a bit, bit it was consistent,” he said of today’s hurricane swell.

The Wedge was typically big, but no major injuries like the spinal cord injury reported Wednesday of a 22-year-old pro tennis player.

With the heat driving people to the coast, Turner said lifeguards will be on alert.

“We’re anticipating big crowds and a busy day,” he said of Friday.

Read more on Sciencedude’s heat coverage, and what the National Weather Service is saying about it.

Here are photos of today’s hurricane swell at Doheny State Beach:

dsc_0075

Ignacio advisory from the National Hurricane Center

Sciencedude blog on Ignacio earlier this week

Read more beach news:

Posted in: Beach culture • Beach news • Environment • Surfing • • • • | 6 Comments »

How much did the ladies pay for dates with lifeguards?

August 20th, 2009, 1:35 am by Laylan Connelly, staff writer
Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Brightcove video.

The reason Veronica Vaters stuck to the bidding war was simple.

“He was hot,” she said of Kevin Hoops, a 22-year-old lifeguard who listed “once rescued a baby dolphin” in his bio description.

Vaters handed over $75 for a date with Hoops, just one of the Huntington Beach State lifeguards up for grabs Wednesday night at Sharkeez in Huntington Beach.

“It was probably more than I can afford, but I was caught up in the moment,” she said.

The auction was a fundraiser for the Huntington State Beach Lifeguard Association, which hoped to raise funds for public outreach on beach safety.

About ten lifeguards offered themselves up for the auction, and guest bartended to raise money through tips. Several strutted around shirtless to show off the goods to potential buyers.

Kim Pechar came with a group of friends to “window shop.”

 

“I’m single, you never know,” she said. “It’s like shoes - if you see them, you gotta have them. A woman needs her accessories.”

Lifeguard Nick Milward said he was a bit nervous about getting up on stage.

“Hopefully, I get a little bit of money - at least $5,” he said.  

The top bid of the night went to the association president Craig Lumb, at $105.

CHECK OUT PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT.

 

homeslideKristin Buettner, 22, raised her hand during the bidding and offered up $30 for one of the guards. But as the war went on, she was outbid.

“I don’t have enough money,” she said, shrugging.

The night netted more than $600.

Overall, the night was a success, said organizer Ryan Gates.

“I think it went pretty well,” he said. “We should turn this into an annual event. Maybe we made some love connections, who knows.”

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Posted in: Beach culture • Beach news • Events • | 1 Comment »

Need a date? Buy a Huntington Beach lifeguard

August 17th, 2009, 1:26 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

lifeguardOK - so your friends might tease you for having to fork over some cash to land a date with a lifeguard. You can at least say it’s for a good cause.

The Huntington Beach State Lifeguard Association will be hosting Lifeguard Night at Sharkeez in Huntington Beach, a fund-raiser where money will be collected with cocktails you drink.

In addition to drink sales, there will be a lifeguard auction where guest can bid to have lunch and dinner with a lifeguard, fully paid by Sharkeez. All bids will be donated to the Huntington State Beach Lifeguard Association. The guards who show up will also be guest bartenders that night.

And if you bring a group of eight or more, mention the words “Huntington State Lifeguards” and get a free appetizer.

When: Wednesday, 8 p.m.

Where: Sharkeez, Huntington Beach

Posted in: Beach culture • Beach news • Events • • | 2 Comments »

Paddle out for junior lifeguard

July 17th, 2009, 6:51 am by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

There will be a memorial paddle out for eleven year old Allysa Squirrel this weekend in Huntington Beach.  Allysa was the junior lifeguard who tragically lost her life in a freak boating accident during a junior lifeguard training session last Tuesday.

Everyone is welcome to attend the paddle out.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Allysa Squirrel’s family, friends and all those involved.

Read more from a story by the Orange County Register.

When: 9 a.m Saturday, July 18.

Where: Lifeguard tower 5, Huntington Beach

Posted in: Beach news • Events • Surf Junkie Jeff • • | Post a Comment »

Huntington lifeguards save 5-year-old trapped under storage bin; attempted suicide from pier

July 22nd, 2008, 12:20 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

The city of Huntington Beach highlighted a few noteworthy rescues from last week in their weekly report. Here’s what it said:

On July 17, a five-year-old boy was tunneling in the sand under a metal storage bin when the sand collapsed and pinned the child’s head under the bin. 

Three lifeguards responded and dug the boy out.  He was treated for minor injuries. 

The following day,  a 45-year-old man tied a dog leash around his neck, attached the leash to the pier railing, and jumped off the pier in an apparent suicide attempt. 

The leash broke and the jumper fell into the ocean, where he was initially rescued by a nearby surfer. 

Lifeguards pulled the jumper to shore and treated him for a spinal injury and salt water inhalation.  The jumper was then transported to the hospital for further treatment.

Posted in: Beach culture • Weird stuff on the water • • • | 1 Comment »

Lifeguards save hundreds during hectic weekend on sand

June 23rd, 2008, 2:36 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

aubrey-panis2.jpgLifeguards were extremely busy this past weekend, making hundreds of rescues along the 42-miles of coastline.
Big surf slammed the coast Saturday – the first day of summer - on a day when very hot weather drew people to the beach to cool off.
Combine that with a spike in water temperatures that hit 74 degrees and rip currents: “it was beyond crazy,” said Laguna Beach Marine Safety Capt. Kevin Snow.
The beaches have cooled off a bit, the surf is dying down, and the wind has kicked up on the northern parts of the coast, giving lifeguards a chance to catch their breath after a hectic weekend.
Laguna Beach Marine Safety Officer Scott Diederich said 120,000 people hit Laguna’s sand over the weekend, and they had 272 rescues on Saturday alone, with 350 total for the weekend. A stretch of beach between Thalia and St. Ann’s had 55 saves because of an extremely strong rip.
“Any time people hit the water, they were sucked right out,” Diederich said.

Click here to see how to escape a rip current.
Marine Safety Officer Matt Hansen had a dramatic rescue pulling a man with an injured leg from the water, then running back in immediately afterward for a triple rescue when a rip current blew open.
“It was one of those days,” he said. 
Two lifeguards were hurt during the weekend with leg injuries, although the level of injury is unknown.
“Hopefully, we’ll have them back sooner than later,” he said.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Beach culture • Environment • • | 4 Comments »

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