From: The Orange County Register
Lifeguards make more than 3,000 rescues over the holiday weekend
It was a busy three-day weekend for lifeguards, who along the coastline had nearly 3,000 ocean rescues as the massive crowds swelled on the sand and in the surf.
Ed Crisostomo, Orange County Register
Two girls were stuck on a rock while being battered by big surf in Laguna Beach. A toddler was buried alive in Newport Beach when sand collapsed on him in a near-fatal incident. The surf was big and rip currents kept beachgoers in constant danger along the coastline.
It all added up to a busy three-day Fourth of July weekend for area lifeguards, who made about 3,439 ocean rescues.
Huntington City Beach reported 575 rescues over the three days, mostly of people saved from rip currents and big waves.
“It’s kind of like the calm after the storm,” Huntington Beach Lt. Claude Panis joked on Tuesday morning. “We were extremely busy as far as tower responses. Our guards were barely able to keep up with it.”
The busiest day for Huntington guards was the Fourth of July, when there were 257 rescues. Though wave size dropped Monday, more people got into the water – and into trouble.