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Record Rescues at California Beaches

Published on: November 11, 2014

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Pictured is a lifeguard in Long Beach giving a public tour. While public information efforts seek to reduce accidents and rescues at California beaches, the past year’s record warm temperatures in California have driven people to the beach in record numbers. Daylight savings this past week has helped lifeguards–people are leaving beaches an hour earlier.

The data is in and it seems California’s lifeguards have never been busier than this year when more people went to beach and the most ever were rescued.

  • 70.5 million people went to L.A. County beaches this year, about 15 million more than average, and 14,331 were rescued this season, according to Los Angeles County Lifeguards. They attribute the increase to climate. Even now in November they’re reporting the ocean temperature is 67.  November ocean temperatures are normally around 64 degrees at Los Angeles.
  • Newport Beach had a particularly rough year, as well. One of their heroic lifeguards lost his life saving someone else.
  • Huntington Beach lifeguards made 6,596 rescues, a 62% jump
  •  Laguna Beach lifeguards estimate 5 million people have gone to the beaches in Laguna, more than any full year on record. Guards there  have made 4,021 rescues so far, just slightly less than a previous year.

While most rescues are caused by  people being caught in rip currents, not all are accidentally. Yesterday a friend of SeeCalifornia.com staff who works on Huntington Beach Pier rescued a man attempting to commit suicide. The suicidal man jumped off the HB Pier and then began clinging to the pier, which is covered with sharp barnacles. Our friend, Brian, ran to lifeguard Tower Zero and grabbed the lifesaver, throwing it to the man who would have drowned.

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