QUIET SANDS: Spring break marks the beginning...

QUIET SANDS: Spring break marks the beginning of beach season here, which means lifeguards get busy again. But Lt. Al Pepito of Huntington State Beach sees a changing beach scene that should make their jobs a little easier: “We’re seeing a more family-oriented, safer environment, than the big college-type parties.” . . . One reason: It was the last of the state beaches in Orange County to ban alcohol, which also brought a 35% drop in accidents or injuries.

WAVE IF YOU DO: Paul and Deirdre Milosch, married nine years, understand each other’s jobs well. Both are lifeguards in Huntington Beach. They became engaged 10 years ago during a paddleboard expedition near San Clemente. . . . “We were near a reef and every time I got ready to pop the question Deirdre would take off on a wave,” says Paul Milosch. “I finally caught her and she said, ‘Are you serious? Sure.’ ”

FRESH AIR PERK: Remember that movie “Lifeguard,” where Sam Elliott’s character worried he was getting too old for the job? How about Buddy Belshe? He’s 61, and still working the beach. . . . Belshe retired as a lifeguard in Newport Beach in 1987 to go into real estate. He stayed away less than a year. Says Belshe, who still swims 3,000 yards daily: “I love lifeguarding. I get to help people and be out in the fresh air, too.” Adds Lt. Mitch White: “He is one of our most alert people . . . He’s one we all look up to.”

POWER RESCUES: On TV’s “Baywatch,” lifeguards grab everything from Jet Skis to motorboats to make amazing rescues. Most real life rescues aren’t that dramatic, but using motorized watercraft is the latest trend. Lifeguards both in Newport Beach and Huntington Beach now use them. . . . They love them, especially during big wave conditions, or during the winter when the water’s cold. They’re fast, easy to launch, and an improvement over the inflatable rescue boats used here the past 10 years. . . . But, cautions Steve Lashbrook, San Clemente city beaches marine safety officer: “Lifeguarding is very simple: eyes on the water. I can’t imagine technology replacing that.”