Lifeguards see a ‘quiet’ Fourth weekend

It’s never easy being responsible for hundreds of people larking about on a beach, but compared to some days, the Fourth of July was a cakewalk for Laguna Beach Lifeguards.

The call volume was down, there were less people on the beaches, less transports to hospitals and gratifyingly few rescues over the three-day holiday, according Marine Safety Department records.

“We had only 14 rescues on the July 4 weekend, compared to 300 rescues the previous weekend,” said Mark Klosterman, director of marine safety.

“On a day when the surf’s high, driven by storms, we could have as many as 500 rescues.”

Although the rescues and calls for medical aid or to find lost children were down, that doesn’t mean the guards were sitting around getting a suntan.

“There was a lot going on,” Klosterman said.

The guards do more than pluck out swimmers who find themselves out of their depth in ocean waters. One of their primary duties is to head off trouble.

Guards made 3,484 prevention contacts — advising the public about safe behavior.

“That’s when we walk up to someone and say, ‘Excuse me, but no body boarding today or don’t go in the water beyond your knees,’” Klosterman said.

The guards also made 5,282 public contacts — answering questions about time, restrooms and just being generally helpful — and 1,759 enforcement actions, 624 of which were what Klosterman called marine eco contacts, such as catching someone trying to take samples from the tidepools.

There were 95 calls for medical aid, but none for advanced life support.

“Overall, the Fourth was just quieter, compared to recent statistics, ” Klosterman said.

BARBARA DIAMOND can be reached at (949) 494-4321 or [email protected].