Big ‘Poppa’ bids adieu to patrol Harbor Guard’s boss looks back on time protecting the ocean
SM PIER To hear Wayne Salkoski tell it, he has spent nearly his entire life on the Santa Monica Pier.
As a kid living on the border of Santa Monica and Venice, Salkoski, 60, worked at the old go-cart track near the boardwalk. When he got older, he got a job as a deck-hand on a sports fishing boat and in marine construction and salvage. There was also the time he ferried people from the pier to their boats, which were anchored just off the old breakwater, which has since been destroyed by Mother Nature.
His love of the ocean and the pier didn’t stop there. For the last 31 years, Salkoski, an opinionated but jolly character with a bright smile and a firm handshake, has served the community as a member of the Harbor Guard, keeping the surf and sand safe for millions of visitors every year.
He’s been at the guard so long that his colleagues have a nickname for him — “Poppa.”
Well, last week, Poppa called it quits, retiring so he can spend more time with his family — he’s got a loving wife of 37 years, four kids and four grandkids — and on the golf course.
At the Harbor Guard headquarters, surrounded by black and white photographs of the pier’s heyday, Salkoski talked about his days patrolling and about the men he has served with, knowing that leaving will be bitter-sweet.
“This truly is the greatest place to work,” Salkoski said as he stared out at the Pacific and the Palisades bluffs towering in the distance. “When I come here in the morning sometimes, you can see dolphins go by. It’s just the energy and flow of the ocean. It’s very relaxing.
“But more than that, it’s the guys I work with,” he added. “They really have become a family and it will be hard to leave, but it’s time to let some of these younger guys take the lead.”
Salkoski, who was born in Culver City but moved to the Santa Monica/Venice area when he was a boy, said he has some plans for retirement. They include buying a boat so he can go fishing and diving regularly; traveling with his wife and family; working on his golf game; and to prove that he’s not through with the pier just yet, a possible part time gig with the Harbor Guard.
“I would like to return as an as-needed employee,maybe as an instructor and help the new guys out,” Salkoski said. “We have very good boat operators here and diving instructors. I just want to make their jobs easier.”
Any help would certainly be appreciated. The Harbor Guard has a lot of responsibilities, from maintaining buoys and boats in the guard’s fleet, to rescue operations and recovery. They are also in charge of keeping watch over the pier and the beach, forcing them to play the roles of police officer and paramedic at times.
Over the years, Salkoski has seen many things from his perch atop the Harbor Guard office. There have been suicide attempts, a hostage standoff and a plane crash or two. That’s why Salkoski is an advocate for more full-time staff. He believes the city should invest more money into the Harbor Guard, whose employees really have to be “Jacks of all trades.”
“When someone jumps into the water, it doesn’t matter if its early in the morning or late at night, raining or bright and sunny, we have to jump in after them,” Salkoski said. “It’s not fun. It’s actually kind of scary, but we all have to do it. It’s scary because you don’t know if this guy jumped because they’re drunk or because they are looking to kill themselves. If that’s the case, and they’re willing to take their own life, who’s to say they won’t try to take yours in the process.
“People come down here and think, ‘Oh, nobody’s going to jump.’ But you’d be surprised,” Salkoski said. “It’s more than you’d think. We don’t save 100 percent of them, But pretty much 98 percent. A lot of them are drunks. It’s funny though, the lifeguards get to rescue all the pretty girls or the kids and be the heroes. For us, we’re jumping in after somebody who might just kill you.”
The Harbor Guard was also called on to assist after the deadly Farmers’ Market crash back in 2003, a scene that Salkoski will never forget.
“It was like a war zone,” he said. “It was probably one of the most terrible things I’ve ever seen.”
Another thing Salkoski has witnessed over the years is the evolution of the pier. He remembers the days when John Wayne owned a yacht and sportsfishing was a major attraction, as was a barge anchored off shore where folks could gamble and dance late into the evening.
Then came the storms that destroyed the breakwater. They were soon followed by gangs and other unsavory characters who turned the pier into an undesirable place that families feared to go. He’s happy now to see life returning to the internationally known landmark. He sees more couples and kids running about and he believes restoring the breakwater will be the next step in returning the pier to its original glory.
“I think there is a real diamond in the rough here,” Salkoski said as he looked down at the pier. “(Restoring the breakwater) would really enhance the city and the pier. It might be expensive, but in the long run you’d make that money back.”
Salkoski envisions charters that would whisk people away to Catalina, cruise ships bringing in tourists to shop at the Third Street Promenade, fathers and sons going out on fishing trips and folks on canoes or human-powered water craft.
“There are a lot of options,”he said.“This is a real gold mine … Before ‘83 (when the breakwater was destroyed) the pier had a personality. It’s getting some of that back, but there are still a lot of politics here getting in the way.”
And just in case you were wondering if those fisherman at the end of the pier are actually catching anything worth eating, Salkoski has the answer.
“Yeah, they do,” he said smiling. “They catch something every once in a while. They catch halibut and sometimes they offer it to me. I eat it. I don’t glow at night.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 1, 2007. Read the original PDF.