The Week Of July 4th Lifeguard News

 July 4th Crowds Fill San Diego Beaches, Lifeguards Rescue Hundreds

The first two days of the July 4th holiday weekend were very busy at San Diego beaches, with more than 340,000 beachgoers. San Diego lifeguards reported over 185,800 people were at city beaches on Sunday, topping an estimated 155,000 people on Saturday, according to Lee Swanson of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

Lifeguards successfully performed 228 rescues on Saturday, and 211 rescues on Sunday according to Swanson. The figures provided by Swanson were for beaches within the city of San Diego, such as Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach and La Jolla beaches. This does not include state beaches and other beaches within the San Diego County, such as Imperial Beach, Oceanside, Encinitas, Carlsbad and Del Mar.

San Diego beaches saw more crowds on Monday. So if you’ve doubted the importance of a lifeguard’s job, now would be a great time to do the math.

Wrightsville Beach lifeguards make 22 rescues July Fourth

July 4th was undoubtedly a busy day for lifeguards as both tourists and locals swarmed the pools and beaches for a day of fun. One busy lifeguard agency was Wrightsville Beach lifeguards. As of 5 p.m. July 4th 2016, Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue had made 22 rescues. Lifeguard captain Jeremy Owens said “Many of the rescues occurred in the Johnnie Mercer’s Pier area, luckily we got to them in the nick of time and all the victims were doing okay”.

In addition to the rescues, Owens said lifeguards responded to some six medical calls and two missing child reports. Crowds on Wrightsville’s beach were typical for July 4th, Shannon Slocum, a park ranger said.

The holiday beachgoers started arriving as early as 8 a.m., and at 5:30 p.m. the beach was reportedly still busy. He’d written about an estimated 60 citations, the most recurrent being for open containers of alcohol and glass on the beach. Talk about lifeguards saving the day.

Former Newport Beach Lifeguard Ben Carlson Immortalized with Statue for Ultimate Sacrifice

One dark day in Newport Beach, California Lifeguard Ben Carlson gave everything to his job as a lifeguard when he drowned trying to rescue a swimmer.

On July 6, 2014, waves over 12 feet high, a large swell. and rough conditions left a swimmer battling south of the Newport Pier. Reports say Carlson gave the struggling swimmer his buoy, saving him from the next crushing wave. However, in the churning waters, Ben Carlson died.

Ben was the first death recorded in the line of duty in more than a 100-year history of the Newport Beach Lifeguard Department’s existence.

“The Ben Carlson Memorial and Scholarship Foundation was formed to do positive work in Ben’s memory,” the release stated. “Thanks to generous donations and the support of the community, a 9-foot tall statue of Ben will stand in McFadden Square, just steps away from the Benjamin M. Carlson Lifeguard Headquarters.”

The statue honors lifeguards everywhere, and hopes to promote ocean water safety. Weighing nearly a ton, the statue is made of 316 marine grade stainless steel. While there is honor in the job, there are also risks involved.

Elsewhere in Gwithian, Hayle, Cornwall

UK Lifeguards who rescued a man trapped in a cave near Godrevy are being praised for their bravery. Lifeguards from Gwithian had to swim out to reach him, because the surf was too big to get their boat close enough. They were scrambled on Saturday afternoon after the man’s mother rang the emergency number. He was cold and scratched but unhurt, thanks to the lifeguard’s quick response.

Lifeguards, Josh Daniel and Sara Rowe, jumped into action and headed to the scene on their rescue water craft after the call came through. Locating the isolated headland quickly, the rescue water craft was unable to get closer to the rocks due to the size of the surf.

Sara swam towards the cave with a rescue tube and fins. With help from the victim’s mother, who kept shouting and signaling from the rocks above, Sara could spot the victim at the mouth of the cave; swimming to him and clipping him into the rescue tube to bring him to safety.

The man, in his twenties, was cold and scratched from his efforts to climb out of the cave, but uninjured. Josh and Sara then transported him to safety using the sled on the back of the rescue water craft.

Reunited, the victim, his family, and members of the public who had witnessed the rescue, expressed their gratitude to the lifeguards for their bravery. Thanks to the speedy and successful response of the Gwithian lifeguards, this family can go home happy.

Meanwhile Lifeguards at Salt Creek Beach Take Adequate Precautions

Beachgoers at Salt Creek Beach were being warned Tuesday July 5 afternoon about a shark sighting off Dana Point.

Lifeguards received a report around 4 pm. of a shark breaching approximately 300 yards off the point at Salt Creek Beach.

The water was cleared for about an hour while the area was searched by lifeguards on rescue watercrafts, the Orange County Harbor Patrol, and a helicopter from the Huntington Beach Police Department, according to Orange County Lifeguards.

Gladly, there was no sign of a shark during the search. Regardless, shark sighting advisory signs were posted along a 2-mile stretch of coastline, which includes all of Strands, Salt Creek and Monarch Bay beaches. The public will be advised of the sighting and told to enter the water at their own risk, O.C. Lifeguards said.

Lifeguards will continue to patrol the area and will re-evaluate the status of the advisory in 18 to 24 hours. Better safe than sorry!

Lifeguards to the rescue again….this time in Bradenton

Save after save after save on July 4. Throughout the holiday weekend lifeguards have had their hands full…literally, and Coquina Beach lifeguards were no exception as they responded to three rescues, a small number compared to the thousands of people hitting the water.

“I noticed an adult male struggling to make progress in the water, he was actually in a rip current,” said lifeguard Cody Sullivan. “I didn’t realize that until I got to him.”

Lifeguard Chelsea Hart says the key is to spot the problem immediately. A good lifeguard never gets wet if they spot the problem before it happens

“The boy was swimming and he’s supposed to be going forward, he’s actually moving backwards, he’s struggling,” said Hart.

In split seconds, Hart was in the water.

“My body goes into training mode and I just know what to do,” said Hart.

A save that would appear heroic to many, was another day at the job for Chelsea. In fact, for her, protecting is nature. Prior to being a lifeguard, Chelsea was a soldier deployed in Afghanistan. Now back home, she loves serving her community.

“I love the adrenaline rush, I love the rescues, I love the saves. You know it feels really good to help people out,” said Hart.

Surrounded by constant adrenaline, Hart says her best days are when she knows that everyone gets home safe.╚

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