From the lifeguard towers on the beach, the afternoon glare that glistens on the ocean can make it difficult to see swimmers in distress.
But from rescue boats out in the water, lifeguards have a valuable vantage point and can quickly scoop up struggling beachgoers in trouble.
State Parks lifeguards and officials on Friday, June 28, held a christening ceremony in the Newport Harbor to welcome a fleet of four new SurfWatch boats, state-of-the-art rescue vessels that will help first responders rescue beachgoers, especially vital as the busy summer season gets underway.
While only one of the new 33-foot boats was on hand during the ceremony, the others will arrive in the coming weeks and months.
Old vessels being replaced will be donated to other lifeguarding agencies. Laguna Beach lifeguards already held a celebration to welcome the first of two boats the city is receiving, dubbed Wave Watch. They are the first boats the agency has had in 30 years. The two others will go to Ventura County for training purposes.
“This new vessel we are christening today continues the 60-year tradition of State Park rescue boats that have patrolled the coastline of state beaches since 1964,” said Liz McGuirk, chief deputy director for California State Parks.
Retired State Parks lifeguard Mel Tubbs was on the job in 1964 as the first SurfWatch boat was brought online. He spoke Friday about how revolutionary it was at the time to have boats to help rescues.
“Newport (Beach) lifeguards had their boat in 1958; we’d watch their rescues being made,” said Tubbs, who retired in 1992. “Meanwhile, our lifeguards were busting their behinds. Some of those rip currents off of Huntington Beach are ferocious.”
One memorable rescue just after the agency got its first boat involved 36 people stuck in a strong rip current being scooped up during a strong swell, Tubbs said.
Though he’s been retired for more than 30 years, Tubbs said he still misses the feeling of being on the boat.
“I’d do it now if I could,” he said. “The lifeguards have a saying, ‘Once a lifeguard, always a lifeguard.’ It forever changes your life.”
Director of State Parks Armando Quintero spoke about the importance of lifeguarding and how he’s amazed at what the rescuers do on a daily basis – often unknown to the public they serve.
“If you’re a lifeguard. you’re a hero,” he said.
“The work you do inspires leaders in government, it inspires families who witness what you do and especially the families who have loved ones alive because of you,” Quintero added. “The mission you do could not be a more honorable one.”
Orange Coast State Parks Superintendent Kevin Pearsall called the bright yellow vessels “a unique symbol of lifeguarding.”
Pearsall said the effort to get the boats began in 2018, approved through legislation in a package that also included new fire engines for Hearst Castle and an airplane for Anza Borrego in an effort to modernize unique public safety tools for State Parks.
The new boats have more modern electronic equipment and surveillance that helps with sonar monitoring of underwater and tide activity. Their design was kept the same, which allows the boats to do rescues into the shoreline, a capability only a handful of vessel models have.
“It’s very unique to lifeguarding,” Pearsall said.
He said an estimated 2,500 swimmers are rescued by boats each year off just Huntington Beach and Bolsa Chica, and about 5,000 through all of the Orange Coast district.
“We’re talking about some of the most visited beaches in California,” he said. “It’s really important to have those tools available to take care of the public.”
McGuirk spoke about some of the other unique characteristics the boats feature, including a “deep v” designed to the stern that allows lifeguards to drive through surf without capsizing or sinking, and a unique ability to drive backward without danger of submersion. The boats can also pivot 360 degrees in place, have a large swim step at the back and a propeller at mid-hull to avoid injuries.
McGuirk was tasked with breaking the champagne bottle on the bow to christen the boat.
“With a bottle of champagne,” she said, “we will all wish the crew and the vessel safe passage as it embarks on its important mission to serve the public.”
