Sunny Skies Swell Labor Day Crowds on Beaches

It may have been Labor Day, but the only work San Diegans seemed to be doing was on their tans, judging by the tens of thousands who flocked to the beaches to enjoy the exceptional holiday weather.

An estimated 154,000 people visited San Diego area beaches on Monday, according to Pacific Beach lifeguard Allison Sherwood. Beachgoers were treated to clear skies, 73-degree high temperatures, and a non-threatening one- to two-foot surf.

It was the second-largest beach crowd of the summer, ranking behind July 4, when an estimated 165,000 people went to the beach.

Lifeguards reported about 70 rescues, including a 3-year-old boy who was pulled unconscious from the bay near Crown Point, authorities said.

In Serious Condition

Eric Garcia of San Diego was in serious condition Monday night at Children’s Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said. Apparently unable to swim, Garcia was riding a float about 50 yards beyond the marked swimming area about 2 p.m. when the float got away, sending him adrift, according to Lt. Chris Brewster of the city lifeguard service.

People attempting to go to South Mission Beach after 10:30 a.m. had to come up with alternative plans, as traffic forced the closure of Mission Boulevard south of West Mission Bay Drive to everyone except residents for the second day in a row, police said.

The street closure did not diminish the crowd’s size or enthusiasm at The Pennant, a bar on Mission Boulevard in south Mission Beach. Monday’s capacity crowd was comparable to the throngs who came to the bar during the Over-the-Line tournament, held annually in Mission Beach, according to bartender Joel Nussman.

“It’s almost like OTL all over again down here,” Nussman said. “Mission Beach has a reputation of a party town, and we’re getting a lot of people just coming down and having fun, laughing, dancing and having a few cocktails.”

High at 80 Degrees

Clear skies and warm temperatures greeted holiday celebrators throughout the county. The high temperature at Lindbergh Field reached 80 degrees on Monday, the first time the high has climbed out of the 70s in nearly a week, National Weather Service forecasters said.

The forecast is for some high cloudiness in the afternoon hours and the typical night through mid-morning clouds to return by Wednesday.

People leaving San Diego made up most of holiday travelers at Lindbergh Field on Monday, according to airport supervisor Gus Grant. Labor Day is traditionally one of the biggest travel days of the year, according to Grant, and this year’s was no exception.

“We’re quite busy, but everything is running smoothly and everyone is behaving themselves,” Grant said Monday evening.

The number of fatalities over the Labor Day weekend was down from last year, authorities said. As of Monday evening, two people had died on the county’s highways, three fewer than last year, according to a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman.