As surfers, we know that this has been a summer to remember in terms of south swells. Tourists, on the other hand, are often rather aloof when it comes to ocean conditions, especially if it’s hot as hell and all you want is to cool off.
The dynamic of pumping surf, scorching heat wave, and peak summer tourism has created quite the intense scenario for San Diego Lifeguards, especially at Windansea. Yesterday, as the buoys read a solid 2.5ft at 18s, the shore break was filled with people of all ages enjoying a refreshing dip — there was also a gnarly rip current just offshore.
In a span of 30 seconds, I watched as two grown men were swept out by the rip after a set wave receded back and pulled them beyond the shallow water. Before 15 seconds went by, a lifeguard was rushing out to their rescue. Less than 30 seconds later, the two men were safe and back on solid ground. By the end of the day, there were 107 rescues by five lifeguards. In case anyone needs to hear this, lifeguards are the heroes of the coast. Treat them with kindness and respect.
In the video above, you can see a group of swimmers all being pulled out by the strong rip current. It’s impossible to tell how many need rescuing as opposed to how many are strong swimmers who could bring themselves back to shore. For lifeguards, this is a heavy situation that, to make matters worse, isn’t happening in isolation.
As the miraculous south swell bender has kept many of us in the water more than any other summer, it has also kept the lifeguards incredibly busy. Throw in social media culture that inspires people to try idiotic feats like cliff jumping in highly dangerous situations, it’s all hands on deck.
Let this be a note to all beachgoers, whether tourists or locals, be mindful of high surf advisories, like the one in effect for the following days thanks to Hurricane Genevieve that is set to bring up to 8-10ft waves at certain beaches. Regardless of wave height, there’s a lot of water moving around there even if there is a lull in the waves.
Just remember, it’s much better to ask for advice than to need a rescue from a sketchy situation.
Related: Cliff Jump Goes Horribly Wrong in San Diego, Hospitalizing Teen (Video)
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