Dateline: Friday, June 24, 2016, Santa Monica North Tower #8 (aka, Sorrento; and adjacent to the Jonathan Club). We picked up an 8 hour daily hire shift (1000 hrs - 1800 hrs) and it turned out to be a glorious day of surf, preventions, and an opportunity to mix with and learn from some other lifeguards...
This is what it looked like in the water when we arrived early around 9:15 a.m. to take an off duty warm up workout...
*** Video Alert ! ***
• One Second of Surf: The Video
https://youtu.be/kTSW1Sm-cbA
• Good Lord... Just Look At This Swell: The Video
https://youtu.be/42ArVUIeKII
Even the locals were staying out of the line up...
Tower #12 in the distance from below the high tide line...
... and who do we find looking fit as ever and watching the water like a hawk at Tower #12?!... LACo OL, J.P. Macdonnel.
and then we ran back to SMN Tower #8, and shot the following short video before 10 a.m...
*** Video Alert ! ***
SMN Tower #8 Surf Report: The Video
https://youtu.be/S0lYoeI2rUA
Below, at SMN Tower #8, veteran OL/Early Man, Marco Rodriguez setting up the cones around the tower...
continuing our workout we run towards Tower #6 and snap a photo of the Snowy Plover Protection Area sign. No plovers visible but we are glad they have a place to hang out.
... running back to Tower #8, we find off duty OL, Morgan Wallace, who stopped by to pick up his board that he left behind yesterday...
That board sure is a ....
*** Trademark sidenote below: DA KINE® board leash
Below, What Rip?!...
*** Video Alert ! ***
The Rip With Nobody In It: The Video
https://youtu.be/N28UJBb2OK0
Here comes another Freight Train... just look at the cars, er, waves, stacked up one after the other!...
LG261 on patrol at SMN Tower #4 below, talking to veteran LACo OL, John Nugent...
... a call comes into the tower and its veteran LACo OL, Gabe Campos, at SMN Tower #15, reporting that two Big Buses full on inner city kids have just arrived to his tower and are wading in the water at water's edge... We look and Yep, he's right... Have fun with that, Gabe! :-)
Meanwhile, look who picked up a shift at Tower #9!!! None other than veteran LACo OL, Marcus Chatman, who is also a full time LACo Deputy Sheriff of many years. Who can forget Marcus' very first day on the job as an OL at SMS in 1989 when he had to break up a fight on the beach and save another lifeguard, OL Tony Bardin. As the story goes (see below), Marcus' intervention and assistance to Tony ended the confrontation. I mentioned this story to Marcus' and he smiled and laughed at the memory and I mentioned that it had been written up in the lifeguard newsletter of that time and he was unaware that it had made the news, as it were. So here ya go, Marcus! Keep on keepin' on!
x-ref: THE LACOLA NEWS, Summer 1989, Vol. 2, No. 3 (excerpt below):
p.s. We would love to hear from Tony Bardin about his recollection of this incident and what he remembers of Marcus' entrance onto the scene and his assistance. Maybe someone could put a shout out to Tony!...
Rookie Quiz: How many lifeguards does this photo suggest are on duty at this tower below?
Skies starting to clear and Baywatch Santa Monica cruises by on its way towards Will Rogers...
The Baywatch rescue boat makes mince meat of that swirling rip current in the photo below...
Below, OLS Ryan Berry, contends with some of the local riff raff...
*** Trademark sidenote 2: Marco's HEADHUNTER sunscreen lotion. We've been hearing great things about this product which has developed a loyal following amongst some of our Ocean Lifeguards. Marco likes the way it smells too!... :-) He has a valid point as far as that goes when you consider that the John Wayne Foundation Sunscreen in our towers smells horrible and is almost gag worthy smell wise, though it does do an outstanding job as a sunscreen... though its liberal use does make one look like the living dead... (x-ref/credit: OL Sean Nollan)... :-)
Watching the water...
Below, OLS Berry, on a workout, shows his diving with fins skills in the face of an oncoming freight train!... :-)
meanwhile at Tower #6, OL Tess King, returning to her tower after a foot patrol and preventions made...
All Hands On Deck...
Look at the peaking lip of that WAVE below!...
OL Chang below, on his ramp at Tower #10... watching the water...
Below, OL King making another prevent at Tower #6...
and the set waves just keep on keepin' on!...
Final Trademark sidenote: OLS Gavola uses BANX block" sunscreen. Just sayin'...
Below, OL Chatman, on a foot patrol...
Below, OL Chang on the sand waving his rescue can and watching the water... well done!
You mean to say, we do have a Captain?... :-)
another freight train...
and before we knew it, it was 6 pm and we were off duty!...
... we then drove to SMHQ to shower up for the evening ahead... and look who that is, our Captain, Scott Grigsby!...
We went upstairs to say hello to the staff and inquired again for the new department white long sleeve SUN SHIRTS... unfortunately, ALL of the sun shirts delivered to SMHQ recently were confiscated this past Thursday and taken to the Training Center. Go figure?!... And Central Section Captains, KT and Eugene are not happy about it either cuz their staff of lifeguards do not have reasonable access to the purchase of same now. Just sayin'...
Parting shot below... SMHQ Captain, Kirk Thomas, seated at his desk, and OL Marco Rodriguez helping out on the switchboard...
10-4
Until next time.....
"County Recurrent" News
http://CountyRecurrent.blogspot.com
(All photos and videos by & Copyright Will Maguire 2016.)
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