The weekend’s events, which included two open-water recoveries at Francis State Beach, have taken the number of aquatic rescues at state beaches in the months of June and July to 11, equaling the number of such rescues for 2007 and 2008 combined.
Less than a month into summer, these figures are troubling for Paul Keel, superintendent for the San Mateo County Sector of California State Parks.
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“Each year is different and you don’t know what it’s going to be … We try to be proactive, but there are a lot of beaches and not a lot of staff,” Keel added.
With the drowning deaths of a Walnut Creek mother and daughter still fresh in the minds of rescuers, state parks’ lifeguards, the Coast Guard and other officials are warning beachgoers to be extremely careful when entering the water. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in California State Parks.
At Coastside state beaches, 2009 is shaping up to surpass the record number of water rescues for the San Mateo County Sector. There were 26 in 2005. Since State Parks added a permanent lifeguard in the Coastside area in 1999, numbers for water rescues have fluctuated, with the recent spike in activity taking most rescuers by surprise.
Usually, most rescues for State Parks lifeguards come during the winter months, when large swells attract surfers hoping to conquer big waves.
While State Parks’ officials could not identify an exact trend or reason for the increase in ocean-related incidents this summer, many have attributed the problems to the weather and warmer water that are attracting droves of people to local beaches. For James Nothhelfer, State Parks lifeguard, it came down to weather and surf conditions.
“Warm water and warm weather are the factors,” he said, “and big lulls between waves that create rip currents.”
From a statistical standpoint, with more people coming to the beaches, more accidents are bound to happen, Nothhelfer concluded.
Alex Peabody, aquatics specialist for California State Parks, also noted the tourist appeal of beaches as another possibility for danger.
“A lot of these beaches along the coast are classic quick-visit beaches,” he noted. “Many people outside of California or even the U.S. can come out of San Francisco and rent a car and spend a day or two driving the coastal highway … The person visiting is often not familiar with the coastal area.”
Peabody went on to stress the importance of not only being aware of coastal surroundings, but visiting a beach where a lifeguard was present. Making the distinction between a “guarded” beach — one where swimmers are within the view of a staffed lifeguard tower or patrol unit — and an “unguarded” beach, he cited that most drowning-incidents occur at unguarded coastal areas.
The U.S. Lifesaving Association estimates that the chance drowning at a guarded beach is one in 18 million. Since 1999, there have been no drowning incidents at guarded Coastside beaches.
Providing for lifeguards to staff guarded beaches may be a different matter, however. With budget cuts threatening to sever funding, lifeguards in Coastside State Parks have felt the pinch, unable to provide a constant watch over beachgoers. Under their current funding, “short-staffed” State Parks’ lifeguards can only provide for a stationed lifeguards on the weekends at Francis State Beach and occasionally at Montara and San Gregorio state beaches.
Peabody attributed the problems to fluctuation in what he termed “temporary money” used by State Parks to hire seasonal workers.
“Temporary help money helps pay for seasonal staffing such as seasonal lifeguards and park aides who are often the frontline in terms of safety and public service,” he said. “That budget is unfortunately fluctuating almost every year.”
Furthermore, in the state’s current financial crisis, he was skeptical for the future of funding.
“We have to be prepared and bracing ourselves for the inevitable,” he added. He hopes that lawmakers would take note of the risks being taken by cutting State Parks’ funding. “Looking at statistics, if there is an increased area with no lifeguard service, then the risk factor for drowning goes up.”
In spite of this, he reminded people that simply being aware of the hazards of the ocean was the best way to prevent any possible accident.
“If you’re not trained and don’t understand dangers of ocean the consequences can be fatal,” he concluded.
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