A Daring Rescue Off Newport

A veteran Newport Beach lifeguard paddled his board out into the fog and darkness Saturday to rescue a young brother and sister caught in a dangerous rip current north of the Newport Pier.

“We had two missing people off our Tower 24 and one of our lifeguards responded with a paddleboard,” said Lifeguard Lt. Eric Bauer.

Lifeguard Mitch White, 42, had lingered inside lifeguard headquarters after a busy Saturday and was about to lock the building at 8:30 p.m. when he heard a police call for help.

“I had just made a public advisement over the PA system warning swimmers that it was no longer safe to swim when the 911 call came in,” White said.

White drove four blocks to 24th Street, where he was met by police and the distraught relatives of two missing siblings. The young swimmers had been missing for a half hour, they told him.

Police identified the two as Alex Anaya, 13, and his sister, Vicky, 10, who had been on a beach outing with relatives from Fontana.

White immediately launched his paddleboard into the water and paddled what he believed was about 100 yards offshore.

“I yelled out and I heard a faint voice. I yelled a second time, and I heard a boy’s voice say, ‘Over here,’ ” White said.

“I said, ‘Hang in there.’ They were about 50 yards north of me and I kept yelling for them to hang in there. When I found them, the youngster had his face above water and he was holding onto her beneath her armpits. Her head was beneath the waves and all I could see was her hair floating on the surface.”

White said he was worried that he may have had a potential drowning on his hands because the girl couldn’t lift her head. He quickly reached for her and yanked her by the shoulders onto his paddleboard.

She was conscious but vomiting continuously from ingested salt water, White said.

He said he then turned his attention to the boy, who was grabbing onto the paddleboard and complaining of severe cramps after treading water for so long.

“Once I had them on my paddleboard, I started paddling back and by the time I reached shore, the police were there and helped me carry them to the shore,” White said.

Alex and Vicky were taken to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach where they were treated and released.

Bauer praised White’s quick response but also said that fate may have played a role in the dramatic rescue. Lifeguard headquarters was supposed to close at 8 p.m. and White, who is a supervisor, would have been gone had he not stayed to fill out reports after a busy day that saw more than 115,000 beachgoers.

“If he had not been there, there could have been a double drowning,” Bauer said. “Mitch did a nice job.”

For White, the rescue ranks as his first in fog and one of the more exciting in his 25-year career.

“When I got to shore their relatives were really glad to see me. I was blessed three times by their mother,” White said.

“The rescue came at a good time in my career. I was at a point where I couldn’t remember why I became a lifeguard and the rescue rejuvenated me. When I got home I told my wife all about it and how I’m glad to be doing what I’m doing.”

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Saved

A veteran lifeguard saved the lives of a brother, 13, and sister, 10, who were swept 100 yards out to sea by a riptide about 8:30 p.m. Saturday.