Coast : Riptides Plague Throng of 270,000 at Beaches

A volleyball tournament and surfing contest drew the largest crowds among the estimated 270,000 people who ventured out to county beaches Saturday where lifeguards kept busy pulling swimmers out of riptides.

About 60,000 people showed up at Huntington Beach, with about 20,000 clustered around the pier where bleachers were set up for the OP Surf Contest. Lifeguard supervisor Dave Seibt said the waves ranged from two to four feet and a crowd of 80,000 is expected for the finals tomorrow.

Another 20,000 people went to Seal Beach and 5,000 spent the day watching the preliminary rounds of the Miller High Life Volleyball Tournament. “People are down here trying to beat the heat (which was about 80 degrees),” said lifeguard Mark Lees. “We’re going to have the volleyball finals and the bikini contest tomorrow so it will probably be even more crowded.”

At Huntington Beach State Park, an estimated 30,000 people watched as a speedboat developed engine trouble shortly after 4 p.m. and drifted to about ten yards beyond the surf line, said lifeguard Kurt Loeffler. The boat’s passengers dropped anchor there and a lifeguard boat pulled them to safety, he said.

All beaches reported a moderate amount of rescues. There were no serious injuries, except for Crystal Cove State Park where one swimmer suffered a neck injury when he dove into the surf. Park ranger John Kalko said he didn’t know whether the injury was serious, adding that there have been about 12 neck injuries at the beach this summer.

The day’s largest attendance was registered at Newport Beach where about 78,000 people hit the sands.