VENTURA : Boy Rescued From Waters Off Park

An 11-year-old boy was rescued from the waters off Ventura’s Marina Park on Thursday after strong currents swept him from shore, authorities said.

Manuel Nunez of Santa Paula is among three youths who have nearly drowned at the unsupervised beach in Marina Park in the past two days of spring break, authorities said.

“He was actually going down for the count” when Deputy Harbormaster Paul Korber reached him from a patrol boat, said Pat Hummer, also a deputy harbormaster at Ventura Harbor.

“He submerged, surfaced again and yelled for help,” Hummer said.

On Wednesday, Eric Berto, 13, of Ventura was swept beyond the surf line by strong tides but managed to reach shore on his own. “He was conscious but unresponsive to questions,” said Steve White, a state lifeguard who responded to the scene.

Eric was hospitalized and later released.

The incidents served to underscore how hazardous the Marina Park beach can be, White said. He described the currents that swirl between two jetties as “a pretty nasty puzzle for people not used to ocean currents.”

Because of a cutback in funding, state park officials informed the city of Ventura in October that they would no longer be able to provide a seasonal lifeguard at Marina Park, he said.

In past years, White said, a lifeguard would have been stationed at the park during at least one week of spring vacation, but this year’s school holiday has stretched over a four-week period because of differing school schedules.

With the cutbacks, though, no state lifeguard will be stationed at Marina Park even when summer arrives, he said.

On Thursday, Manuel told authorities that he accidentally fell into the harbor, where strong tides quickly carried him 100 yards from shore, Hummer said.

After Korber pulled him from the water, the boy was taken to Ventura County Medical Center, where a nursing supervisor said he was in good condition.

Minutes after Manuel was rescued, White assisted another struggling swimmer.

Ron Lucky, 9, of Auburn jumped from his boogie board into deep water and tried to swim away, White said. “He struggled and then panicked,” White said.

White said it was too soon to tell whether the spate of rescues would prompt state and Ventura city officials to come up with funds for lifeguards.

“I can’t predict what the ocean will do, or what these two agencies will do either,” White said.