500,000 Reasons O.C.’s Coast Was Packed

High inland temperatures drove an estimated 500,000 people to seek refuge at Orange County beaches Sunday, causing some areas to close, tempers to flare and major traffic jams along Pacific Coast Highway.

“This is obviously the first big day of summer for us. It’s extremely busy,” said Api Weinert, a lifeguard with U.S. Ocean Safety, which provides lifeguard service at county beaches. “Disneyland must be shut down and everybody decided to come to the beach.”

Temperatures today should once again climb into the 90s in parts of the county with some unhealthful air quality expected. But patchy morning fog on Tuesday will help cool things off.

The heat forced Araceli Valdez of Los Angeles to Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach, where lower temperatures prevailed, but finding a parking space was nothing short of a nightmare because of the crowds.

Valdez, who said her family left home early to get a good spot at the beach, spread out beneath an umbrella and said: “Just sitting here makes me much more comfortable.”

By early Sunday afternoon a steady stream of traffic forced barricades at Seal Beach and Bolsa Chica and Huntington state beaches, where motorists were turned away as parking lots filled.

“We are packed,” said Jeff Lung, seasonal supervisor for lifeguards at Bolsa Chica, where 45,000 cooled down. “It was just an excellent day. The wind wasn’t blowing, just a little offshore breeze and about 80 degrees.”

Traffic was bumper to bumper along Pacific Coast Highway from Laguna Beach north to Seal Beach, causing some tempers to flare among motorists, especially when parking spots became a premium.

“The beaches were maxed out as far as parking was concerned,” said Huntington Beach Police Lt. Gary Brooks. “Out at the two state beaches, they had to close them for a while and that became our problem as traffic officers blocked off the left-turn lanes, preventing anyone from turning into the state beaches from Pacific Coast Highway.”

In Newport Beach, where 120,000 sought a cool spot, police intervened as arguments erupted over parking spots at some beaches.

“One of our beat officers in the Balboa area told me that he personally drove or walked up on 10 different disputes between motorists,” said Newport Beach Police Lt. Tim Newman. “And they were all over a parking space.”

In another part of Newport Beach, two officers on a break met a family who had just arrived after a sweltering drive from Las Vegas. As one of the officers handed the couple’s 3-year-old boy a balloon, the couple begged them to help find a parking spot.

“They said, ‘We know the beach is there, but we can’t get to it because we can’t find a parking space,’ ” Newman said.

Once many finally did make it to the sand, their moods seemed to soften with the cool ocean breeze.

“It’s perfect,” said Kim Janssen of Newport Beach, resting at Crystal Cove State Park. “It’s not too hot--we have a pool, but I prefer the ocean.”

Ken Bruette of Foothill Ranch said it was the first time he’d taken his family to the beach since moving from Maryland six months ago: “It’s a nice warm weekend. I’m used to heat and humidity; this weather is great.”

And for Ray Boyce of Buena Park, the beach provided a welcome relief. “It was miserable at home,” Boyce said. “All week long it’s been decent, then this weekend it finally got real warm.”

Lifeguards from San Clemente to Seal Beach, reported moderate surf and heavy crowds, especially at Huntington and the county’s other northern beaches.

Estimates of beach attendance ranged from 400,000 to 500,000 countywide with 85,000 alone at Huntington City Beach, said Huntington Beach Lifeguard Lt. Mike Beuerlein. Officials said the crowds at some beaches were almost double those on a typical weekday.

“The extreme temperatures inland, the nice big surf and the fact that a lot of people passed up the opportunity” on Saturday brought out the crowds, he said, “in spite of the fact the water temperature dropped to about 60 degrees.”

Gary Patterson of Redlands described the trip to the coast as a welcome change of environment. “We got out of the heat and the smog,” he said.

But Tim Simpson of Long Beach was disappointed: “We were looking for a place that’s not crowded.”

A moderate southwest swell brought 3- to 6-foot breakers at most beaches with some severe rip currents that kept lifeguards busy. Beuerlein said at least 70 rescues were made Sunday, but no serious injuries were reported. In Newport Beach, lifeguards made 300 rescues and no serious injuries were reported.

Curtis Brack, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts and temperatures for The Times, said the high-pressure system parked over the Western United States produced the sunny skies and high inland temperatures.

Santa Ana reached 91 degrees, far from a record of 100 set in 1985 for the same day.

“Look for a gradual cooling, with a little marine layer on Tuesday morning and patchy fog on the coast helping to cool us down for the rest of the week,” Brack said.

Also contributing to this report was Times staff writer Mike Wagner.