A Memorable Day for the Lifeguards

While thousands of people lounged on the beach or played in the ocean Monday, the particularly clear skies and warm water made this holiday one of the most hectic for lifeguards like Christian Corbo.

“The phones are ringing off the hook. Our staff is working like mad. It’s been a crazy day,” said Corbo, a Laguna Beach lifeguard. “Traffic’s been bad around the downtown area. There are the basketball players and girls in G-strings. So we have big spectators here, it’s a sport. Everyone’s around for it.”

Hundreds of thousands of people migrated to Orange County beaches over the three day weekend, particularly on Monday, soaking up the 80-degree weather mellowed by gentle sea breezes.

In Newport Beach, lifeguards estimated that 110,000 flopped down beach towels on Monday. So did an additional 60,000 in Huntington Beach. Steve Lashbrook, a 28-year veteran lifeguard in San Clemente, said this was one of the most crowded Memorial Days he has ever seen, with an estimated 15,000 people on those beaches.

The recent warm weather and this year’s unseasonable lukewarm 70-degree waters reeled in the beach enthusiasts, Lashbrook said.

“Memorial Day generally does not have the weather to support this kind of crowd,” he said. “This year, water temperatures are probably 8 to 10 degrees warmer than usual.”

But the inviting water led to numerous rescue calls.

Lashbrook said about 30 people were rescued from the strong surf. Officials from other major beaches such as Laguna, Huntington and Newport also reported a large number of rescues.

“Just about everyone, good and bad swimmers, were in the water,” Lashbrook said. “The surf was not high, but high tide came midday, and there was a rip current too.”

Temperatures are expected to dip slightly through Wednesday and then rise to the upper 80s at the beaches by the weekend, according to WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times.