An estimated 52 million will hit the beaches this year
SM BEACH — While summer solstice remains three weeks away, today marks the unofficial first day of summer — and that means thousands of people will flock to the sea, weather permitting.
Over the past few months, lifeguards have been busily preparing for the annual influx of umbrella-toting tourists and sun-seeking beachgoers. Stations have been pushed to the water’s edge and restocked with key supplies. All 750 guards are currently being retested and recertified in anticipation of the summer onslaught.
An estimated 52 million people visit beaches in Los Angeles county each year, the vast majority of them during the summer.
“The water has warmed up,” said Garth Canning, a spokesman for Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguards. “We’re currently looking at temperatures of about 63 degrees. We’re getting as warm as 67, which is very warm for this time of year. Water activity has increased.
“We’re getting a lot of people going to the beach.”
An average of 10,000 rescues are performed on annual basis.
With severe budget cutbacks at the county level, no new lifeguards have been hired this year to replace ones that have moved away or retired, said David Estey, another lifeguard spokesman.
“We have cut back, slightly, in our scheduling over the last couple of years just to accommodate for our budget constraints, but we will hire additional lifeguards on a daily basis if we think we need them,” he said.
There are 150 lifeguard stations in LA county, from Ventura to San Pedro.
During the winter, most of them are dragged back from the water, away from the pounding surf. But in the summertime, the stations are pushed back out to the water’s edge. They’re also aligned properly so lifeguards can better see one another in case they need help during an emergency, Canning said.
Each tower is inspected and, if needed, repainted and repaired. Every tower is outfitted with a desk and chair, first-aid gear, flags, a closed-circuit telephone that connects with other towers and lifeguard headquarters, a rescue “can,” shovel, broom and cones.
The next, and most important, step in preparing for summer is physical. All 750 lifeguards must be recertified in CPR and first aid, and pass a 600-yard ocean swim test.
“It’s a very old profession and even though we occasionally get new pieces of equipment... our job is very basic,” Canning said. “It’s one lifeguard swimming out to someone in distress and bringing them back to the beach — and there’s not a lot you can do to bring in technical help to do that.”
The swim tests started Wednesday and will last through the beginning of July. Each lifeguard must complete the 600-yard ocean swim in under 13 minutes, regardless of conditions.
Those high standards for lifeguards mean beachgoers are safer, Canning said. Often the lifeguards will realize first when swimmers are caught in a rip tide or face some other type of danger. Canning reminded swimmers and surfers not to overextend themselves early in the season, and advised them to stay in front of staffed lifeguard stations. If caught in a rip tide, beachgoers should swim parallel to the beach until they are out of the current, and then back to shore at a 45-degree angle.
As far as smoking, Canning said beachgo-ers shouldn’t expect lifeguards to patrol the sand for violators this summer. Santa Monica and Malibu recently criminalized smoking on the beach, and the City of Los Angeles has done the same on its beaches — Cabrillo, Dockweiler, Venice and Will Rogers.
“The Los Angeles County lifeguards don’t write citations and so we don’t have the ability to enforce laws like that,” Canning said. “We’re always willing to help cooperate with local authorities in enforcing local laws, but our main job is to keep our eyes on the water. The more we can concentrate with keeping people safe, the better.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 29, 2004. Read the original PDF.