Summer Story -- The law of the ocean

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT BEACH - The summer season has returned, which brings people

flooding back to the last frontier, the last domain where common sense is

expected to be man’s guide.

As the west once offered man the freedom of life with fewer laws, now

the beaches and waterways are the last place where rules of common sense

outnumber actual laws.

On the sandy shores of Newport Beach, the lifeguards are the primary

guardians of public safety.

Of course city, county and state laws apply, but when Lt. Jim Turner

of the Newport Beach lifeguards considers the laws of the waves, his

first thought is, “We don’t have many.”

“On the beach we don’t have a lot of problems, so we don’t have a lot

of ordinances,” he said.

There are a few, however.

“We don’t allow boats within 1,000 feet of shore; just surf boards,

paddle boards, and surf kayaks, but they don’t mix extremely well with

surfing,” he said.

While other cities have had more problems with scuba diving accidents

or deep holes dug in the sand, Newport Beach is primarily a surf town.

“They don’t do much scuba diving in West Newport, so we don’t have a

lot of rules,” Turner said. “We have a lot of surfing in West Newport, so

we have a lot of rules.”

If there are more than 100 people on the beach between two lifeguard

towers, or more than 25 people using the waves -- not splashing in the

shallows, but actually out using the waves -- or if there are dangerous

surf conditions, that area will be black balled for surfers.

“We don’t have a lot of rescues when surfers are out,” he said with a

chuckle. “But when we call them in and the swimmers head out, the rescues

start.”

There are also a couple of specific rules for specific breaks. Between

40th street and 44th street, no hard boards are allowed between May and

October. Down at The Wedge, no aids to flotation of any kind are allowed

between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. from May through October.

“At Big Corona and Little Corona, there are swim lines to keep the

bathers in and the boaters out,” he added.

As for those boaters, their primary guardians are the Sheriff’s

Department Harbor Patrol and the Coast Guard.

The No. 1 rule for boaters in Newport Beach is that they must launch

their vessel from the Dunes, said Sgt. Donna Soto of the Harbor Patrol.

That is anything from a ship or yacht to a Jet Ski.

As an officer of the law, Soto came up with a few other legal

regulations such as the 5 mph speed limit in the harbor. Among them, is

that children under the age of 11 must be wearing a life vest in any

vessel less than 26 feet long. There also must be a personal flotation

device on board for every person over the age of 11 on a vessel under 26

feet in length

But quickly, recitation of laws become safety warnings.

“Pay attention to the weather around you -- fog can come rolling in

pretty quickly,” Soto said. “For storm advisories, we have a phone number

you can call. In the daytime, a signal red flag is a small craft warning.

At night, a red light is.”

She was on a safety roll. Some more things one needs to know, she

explained, are to stay in between red and green buoys, pay attention to

signs, leave someone a plan as to where you’re going and when you’ll be

back.

“Legally you don’t have to know anything, but it’s like in a car.

You’re going to pass on port, or left, and travel on starboard, right,”

Soto said.

Common courtesy, as well as common sense, should rule supreme.

Ships powered by sail have the right of way over motor powered

vessels, but that does not mean someone can cut in front of a motored

vessel, Soto said.

She said she could go on for hours, but does recommend that boaters

take a class and pick up a free safety manual at the Harbor Patrol office

on Bayside.