The 18-year-old woman began having an attack while in the water on Saturday afternoon. Lifeguard Doug Leach was already heading out to make contact with her, with it became a “highly critical rescue and medical aide situation,” said Marine Safety Lt. Mike Beuerlein.

She was unconscious as lifeguards brought her to the shorebreak, and Beuerlein said it was a struggle for the lifeguard to get the victim to shore.

Lifeguards administered “rescue breathing,” which gave her air from an oxygen bag. By the time paramedics arrived, she had gained consciousness. The victim told lifeguards she had a history of epilepsy, diabetes and had other medical problems.

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Lifeguards at tower G south of the Balboa Pier were alerted to the trapped teen – who was buried up to his face in the hole - at about 2:15 p.m. today.

Friends tried to pull the teen out, and had to contact lifeguards when they were unable to help.

 Twenty firefighters and lifeguards responded and carefully dug the teen out of the sand.  The victim was assessed on scene, but declined transport to the hospital, according to spokeswoman Jennifer Shultz.

Parents should be aware of this potentially dangerous situation and never allow children to dig deep holes below the level of the sand, according to the press release.

Schultz said lifeguards typically warn beachgoers if they see them digging holes.
“Any time you’re below the surface of the beach, it can collapse and trap someone,” she said. 

This situation was potentially very dangerous, she said. The sand could have collapsed around the teen had his friends not come to lifeguards for help.

Two years ago, lifeguards helped someone who was unconscious in the sand after being buried. About 20 years ago, a beachgoer died after being trapped in the sand, she said.

Last year, USA Today reported that more than two dozen people had died in the past decade from sand collapsing on them.
In the story, Researchers found there were 16 sand hole or tunnel deaths in the United States from 1990 to 2006 compared with 12 fatal shark attacks for the same period, according to University of Florida statistics.

Read the full USA Today story here.

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Shark attacks woman on kayak at Catalina, knocks her off in front of her kids

Big beach party “Six Man” rocks the South Bay

Consultant says toll road won’t effect Trestles. Vote: Do you think it should be built?

Blue whale spotted offshore

Bud Browne leaves a legacy of surfing history on film

They’re baaaack: Jumbo squid off the coast

Great white shark spotted by charter boat 2 miles off Doheny State Beach

Great white sharks: Have you seen any? Check out our map of sightings

Rare sighting of killer whales close to coast

So Cal surfing vs. Central Coast? Plus nude surfing

Skateboarder seizes 405 freeway

Another fatal shark attack

Great whites off Newport Beach: photos from 2002

Shark kills swimmer in Solana Beach just south of OC - local beaches stay open

First local Dorado caught 3 miles off the coast

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The story looks at why lifeguards weren’t notified of a near drowning Sunday night.

Jordan Ginter, 19, was walking along the shore when he noticed a family on the sand screaming to the siblings. He ran to the beach house they were staying at to tell his dad, Steve Ginter, and they paddled out to save the pair.

Not sure what happened to lifeguards… but great job to the Ginter family!

Read the full story here.
 

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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.

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Register reporters Erin Welch and Cindy Carcamo wrote up a story about the beach conditions on the Fourth of July, showing that rescues were pretty low, especially for such a busy Friday. And fortunately, the plane pilot walked away with a few bruises, and no one on the beach was injured… but it was real close.

It was so packed, that all the hundreds of firepits at Bolsa Chica and Huntington State Beach were nabbed by 6:30 a.m., according to state lifeguard Ryan Gates. Parking was gone by 10:30 a.m.

Here’s the tally of rescues rounded up by Welch and Carcamo, as of 8 p.m. Friday:

 Newport Beach: 50

Doheny State Beach: 15

San Clemente Marine Safety: 44

San Clemente State Beach: 30

San Onofre State Beach: 8

Laguna Beach: 12

Huntington State Beach:110

Newport Beach:70

Seal Beach:12

To read the whole story, click here.

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Newport Beach Capt. Boyd Mickley said summer crowds this week have been hitting about 85,000, and more than 100,000 beachgoers are expected to flock to the sand on Friday for the Fourth of July.

Mickley also said there are predictions for increased surf, which means inexperienced swimmers should check with lifeguards before entering the water. He said crowds seem larger than previous years, perhaps because people are staying closer to home rather than going out of town because of high gas prices.

“Some think it’s reducing numbers because no one wants to spend gas money, others think it’s increasing crowds because no one wants to go elsewhere,” he said. Having the holiday on Friday will bring even larger crowds to the beach, he said.

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The northwest swell – if it comes through – could bring waves to the West Newport area.

In Laguna, Marine Safety Lt. Scott Diederich said forecasters are calling for 3-to 5-foot surf, meaning swimmers should use caution.

“Never swim alone, and never swim when drinking alcohol,” Diederich said.

Lifeguards will have extra people on staff; Laguna increasing from 48 to 62 for the day. Every beach up and down the coast will have extra staff.

Even on weekdays, Laguna is seeing about 20,000 people on the sand. This week, they had a handful of rescues with the south swell that came in.

“It’s people not checking with lifeguards and getting into situations above their ability,” he said. They are expecting up to 60,000 a day this weekend, including Friday. “We are expecting that there is going to be surf, and rip currents are going to be hazards,” he said.

The strong west winds have dropped water temps from 72 to 58 degrees this week, but today it was creeping back up to 62 degrees, he said. If the wind doesn’t kick back up, it may get back up to about 67 degrees, he said.

He also warned that there will be an extreme high tide Friday night at 6.7, and those watching the firework show from the sand need to make sure they’re far enough up on the beach that they don’t get washed out to sea.

Huntington Beach Marine Safety Officer Claude Panis said there already have been a few major cervical injuries this year, one last week that resulted in paralysis.

“Someone saw him just floating face down, and it looked like he was trying to get himself up,” he said. “Some kids grabbed him and pulled him out of the water. “If it weren’t for them, he’d probably be dead.”

Panis said that because of surf lately, the sandy bottoms below the water’s surface can be uneven, so swimmers should never dive into the water head first.

Last year on the Fourth of July, former Newport Harbor High School student Matt Oka suffered a spinal cord injury and was left paralyzed after hitting his head and breaking his neck on a sandbar south of the Balboa Pier.
For up-to-date news on the weather, see Sciencedude’s blog.

More stories from the Beach Blog:

• Headed to the beach on the Fourth of July? Let us guide you
• “Save Trestles” campaign trying to get support for new toll road meeting
• Icons to be honored at Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame announced
• More drunks on the sand and rescues in HB for the world to see
• Blue whale spotted offshore
• Blackball is in effect - do you know where you can surf?
• Shark attacks woman on kayak at Catalina, knocks her off in front of her kids
• More drunks on the sand and rescues in HB for the world to see
• Blue whale spotted offshore
• Blackball is in effect - do you know where you can surf?
• Shark attacks woman on kayak at Catalina, knocks her off in front of her kids

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The popular reality series “Ocean Force: Huntington Beach, OC” on truTV will be back for another year – possibly five more summers - with filming starting Monday.

Click here to view a video promo of the show.

“We were very pleased with the product last year,” said Marine Safety Chief Kyle Lindo. Although they were apprehensive about doing a “reality-type” show, footage from previous years in San Diego and Honolulu helped ease fears about how the show would turn out.

Huntington Beach’s version was a hit. According to the latest contract, the show had an average 1,716,000 primetime viewers – 30 percent higher than the average truTV primetime.

“We’re happy, apparently the public was happy. It was one of the best shows on cable (for viewership),” Lindo said. “I know everything they do on a daily experience is awe inspiring, and it turns out the public felt the same way.”

He said locals ribbed the lifeguards about being stars, and fan letters come in from around the country.

Only eight episodes were taped last year, but with the new contract, the show has the option to do 12. The Marine Safety Department also got a bump in what they’ll be paid – instead of $8,000 per episode like last year, they will get $12,500 this season, and an increase if they continue the show for the next five years.

Lindo said the department has augmented its radio system and building security with the funds, and also purchased training and fitness equipment.

Marine Safety Lt. Mike Beuerlein said the crew will be filming daily. The film crews basically ride along with lifeguards, filming whatever footage they can.

Beuerlein said the main benefit of the show is to demonstrate what lifeguards do daily.

“More than anything it has broken the stereotype of a lifeguard as a person who sits in the tower, gets a tan and looks at girls,” he said.

In fact, Huntington Beach often has more visitors and rescues than any other beach along OC’s coastline. On a hot, busy weekend, up to about 200,000 people can flock to the sand.

The half-hour segments covered everything from slurring drunks who argue with lifeguards, people urinating or getting hot and heavy in public, and also rescue efforts such as rip current rescues. It packs mini-stories into each episode from a surfer getting gashes on the face or sustaining neck injuries, to some tattoo-covered dude hanging out on the boardwalk with an 8-foot-long snake around his neck.

Both Beuerlein and Lindo said their favorite episode from last year was one called “Code X.” While a swimmer died during that episode, lifeguards have used it as an educational tool, which will be shown to lifeguards around the nation. The show highlighted the search and coordination efforts for a person who had drowned.

“It showed the extent to which lifeguards will search, and the scope of the search,” Beuerlein said.

Lindo said it’s difficult to recommend that episode, because there is a real tragedy behind it. But the show delivers a message: “Don’t overestimate your ability and don’t underestimate the oceans.”

More stories from the Beach Blog:

Shark attacks woman on kayak at Catalina, knocks her off in front of her kids

Tropical storm to bring big waves to Orange County

Blue whale spotted offshore

Get out: Kayaking Huntington Harbour

Surfers smack down on photogs in Malibu, brawl in Huntington

Post from: OC Beach Blog

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.

Huntington Beach Marine Safety Officer Matt Norton said about 200,000 people flocked to their beach over the weekend, with hundreds of rescues.
“We had the full mix. Rip currents, cervical injuries, and a ton of missing kids,” he said.
One three-year-old child was found by lifeguards, who ended up having him for more than two hours before the father came looking for him. The dad showed up as police came to take the child.
The beaches remained busy through the nights, with lifeguards having to watch over people barbequing.
“We’re finding a lot of people aren’t traveling. I think we’re going to have people down here because it’s a cheap and easy thing to do for the summer.”

He said the rip currents are still pulling people into the surf, and beachgoers need to check with lifeguards and know how to swim before getting into the water.
“Everybody is still on alert,” he said. Surf is at about 2-to-4 feet in Huntington Beach.

 In Newport, there were 295 rescues on Saturday, with one possible spinal injury after a swimmer dove into shallow water, hitting a sandbar. On Sunday, there were 196 rescues.
The conditions have cooled down a bit, and the surf is now about 2 to 3 foot, whereas it was hitting 6 feet high on Friday.
In San Clemente, there were 276 rescues on Saturday and 112 on Sunday, with about 40,000 people showing up through the weekend.

Huntington State Beach Marine Safety Officer Ryan Gates said Huntington parking lots filled up and had to be closed both days. 

Huntington State Beach had 230 rescues on Saturday, and 135 on Sunday. Bolsa Chica State Beach had 136 rescues Sunday, and 40 on Sunday.
“We’re in the aftermath now, doing the clean up,” he said. “It was so crazy.”

For more on what’s happening with OC’s weather, check out Sciencedude’s  blog. Do you have photos from your beach weekend? Publish your stuff here.

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