"THE ORIGIN OF BAYWATCH MALIBU", Part II, by Howard Lee

("Baywatch Malibu", present day. Photo above Courtesy of and Copyright Adam Sandler 2010. All Rights Reserved. Photo taken 12/2/10 at 16:05. Thanks Adam!)

"A Perspective By Howard Lee: Offshore Rescue, 1957"

I was Bob Burnside's partner on the Northern Division's (Malibu Coast) Lifeguard Emergency Truck on the winter day in 1957. We responded to an overturned boat 1 1/2 miles off shore from Leo Carrillo Beach.

On site, Bob paddled our rescue paddleboard to the capsized boat and found a woman and three men hanging onto the boat. One of the men was suffering badly from overexposure to the 48 degree water. After assessing the situation Bob determined he had better paddle the man to shore for emergency medical care and assured the other three a rescue vessel was on the way.

Bob returned to shore exhausted, in tandem with the overexposed man. He relayed the paddleboard to me for return to the capsized boat. Before starting, I quickly briefed Bob that our Headquarters at Zuma Beach had contacted the Navy at Port Hueneme and were sending a Crash Boat to assist. Bob was relieved he didn't tell those people a lie.

My paddle out was really long because I had recently returned to lifeguard work after serving two years in the Army. Since back, my workouts consisted of running, swimming, rowing dories and surfing. Paddleboard practice had been minimal believing board surfing would condition me for that. WRONG... there is nothing like training with the equipment you are going to actually use! The distance alone was challenging, but the worst thing about the paddle to the boat was negotiating the huge/thick kelp beds. The only way to make headway much of the time was to grab hands full of kelp and pull myself and board over the kelp's top. Then, once outside of the kelp, the wind created ocean chop. By the time I reached the boat my arms were like lead, but I felt great relief when seeing all three of the people were still hanging on. In my estimation they now had been in the water for two hours. The two men and one woman were freezing cold. One of the men said he couldn't hang on to the boat any longer, so with help from the other two we managed to put the overexposed man on top of the boat's upturned bottom. He was mostly out of the water and able to get some warmth from the sun. The skiff/boat was only fifteen feet long so only one person at a time was able to take a break from the cold water.

After some time passed there was still no crash boat in sight. The boat had to travel about twelve miles to reach us and I thought it should have arrived by now --- I kept this thought to myself. The man on the overturned boat's bottom appeared to have recovered some what, so I suggested he rotate with his friends so they, too, could get some time out of the water. He responded, "NO!" He then said he wanted me to paddle him to the beach. The other man was showing some anxiety and said he, too, wanted to go to shore. The two men may have been looking toward shore where they could see red lights shining from Lifeguard, Fire, Sheriff and Ambulance vehicles parked up on the beach's bluff. They no doubt figured there must be a nice warm blanket and hot coffee there somewhere. I told them, "NO!"..." It would not be a good idea to paddle anyone to shore because I would not leave any one of you to fend for yourself in your present condition; and, that the crash boat would no doubt be here before I could get even one of you to shore." I no more than finished giving them my position when I looked in the distance and there it was --- the crash boat heading right for us... Just like the Cavalry !

The Navy took us aboard their boat along with my paddleboard and then bundled up the three survivors in coats and blankets. I informed the three they could find their friend who was paddled ashore earlier by contacting the Los Angeles County Sheriff, Fire or Lifeguard Department in Malibu. The Navy crash boat was reading to return to Port Hueneme with the survivors who were doing fine in their recovery from the cold water. I requested the Navy drop me and my board off as close to shore as possible and in a place where there was a corridor through the kelp. We found the spot a little up coast which added a little more distance to my paddle to shore, but was worth it, to avoid having to crawl over the kelp again.

I said good-bye to the survivors, thanked the Navy crew for their assistance, then jumped into the ocean. The sailors passed me my paddleboard and away I went toward shore. Shortly, my arms were turning to lead again even though there was no urgency to make shore and passage through the kelp this time was much easier. While paddling, I began thinking about Bob's paddle out to the capsized boat and then almost immediately back to shore, in tandem, with the man suffering severe overexposure. That was a tremendous accomplishment; a feat I am thankful I didn't have to attempt. I also thought about how calm the woman from the capsized boat remained the whole time. She had to be freezing from the cold water, but never complained. Her stoic demeanor was helpful to me in dealing with the two men approaching panic. The thought of Bob and the woman inspired and strengthened me to paddle in good form the rest of the way to shore.

Bob met me at the water's edge. We were both worn-out and freezing, but spent a few minutes talking, through chattering teeth, about the rescue. Bob wondered if I was ready to transfer from Zuma Beach back to Hermosa Beach where we had a rescue boat readily available to back-up lifeguards on rescues. Hell, at that moment on the beach talking with Bob, I was ready to by-pass Hermosa and re-join the Army --- just kidding!

While securing the paddleboard to our emergency truck, some spectators, as they left the bluff in their cars, passed us waving, and others stopped to give us some kudos. We received compliments on our rescue by way of honking horns and touches of siren from Firemen, Sheriffs and CHP as they departed, or was it because were in the way? We then jumped into our truck for the ride back to headquarters --- with our Heater going Full Blast !

---

Writer's Note: Bob and I were asked to write about this rescue for the significant role it played in acquiring a rescue boat (BWIII) for the Malibu coast. It clearly focused the importance of timeliness and need for well equipped responses to ocean emergencies.

Howard Lee

(© Copyright Howard Lee 2011. All Rights Reserved. Used here with permission.)

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For those who have not read Part I of this story by Bob Burnside, from Jan. 13th, here is the direct link:

"The Origin of Baywatch Malibu", by Bob Burnside

http://countyrecurrent.blogspot.com/2011/01/origin-of-baywatch-malibu-by-bob.html

Many Thanks to Chief Howard Lee (Ret.) for taking the time to share with all of us his recollections of this amazing rescue by him and Chief Bob Burnside (Ret.) back in the Winter of 1957.

*** *** ***

10-4


Until next time.....


"County Recurrent" News
http://CountyRecurrent.blogspot.com

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"Ocean Wet Daily", by Chief Randy DeGregori, Ret.

(The above 3 photographs are memorabilia inside Zuma HQ, present day. Photo by Will Maguire.)


Too many Chief's do NOT spoil the Blog ! In fact, they improve it !

Here's another reason why this is true ! A story from Randy DeGregori entitled, "Ocean Wet Daily", aka "OWD". Read all about it here and only here on "County Recurrent" ! 10-4, Copy that !

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"Ocean Wet Daily", by Randy DeGregori

"As a young Recurrent at Zuma in the 60s, we always hated the first two weeks of schedule. Lieutenant Bob Burnside had every Recurrent and Permanent complete a buoy swim in front of the HQS at the start of each shift. Even the guards working the outlying areas had to do it. If you know Zuma you can expect warm weather and butt-cold water in the spring especially after days of NW winds and upwelling. Even warm water will drop dramatically after a good spring blow. Lifeguards who had been off to school for the winter and were used to warm pools and hot showers were sure to get a “stay dry” prefix to their names if they demonstrated much hesitation. You all know someone who fits this description.

(Photo above shows the Zuma buoy, present day. Photo by Will Maguire.)


(Photo above shows the 1974 Zuma Crew. Photo Courtesy of Bob Burnside. Used here with permission.)

When I became a Permanent Lifeguard in April of 1970, I was summoned with the other new permanents to the old Redondo HQS. Captain Dwight Crum was one of two captains under Chief Bud Stevenson but was the acknowledged leader of the lifeguard service at the operational level. Dwight gave us a short talk about accepting lifeguarding as a life-long profession and way of life. He used Recurrent Lifeguard, Herman Friend, in his 60s and near the end of his career, coming up from the beach and obviously just out of the water, as an example of an individual dedicated to Ocean Wet Daily. There were no surfing wetsuits in those days. It didn't fully sink in with me at the time but over the years I came to accept and respect the importance of OWD.

In the old Beaches and Harbors days our masters were squeamish about liability. If it was dangerous you couldn't do it. If they had their way there would be no training in pier jumps, entries off rock jetties or any other activity they envisioned might cause an injury. It was difficult for us to train for real-life emergencies. If you don't practice these things how can you expect people to do them in the real deal?

No civilian passengers in a truck. Don't tow any private vehicles with county equipment even if in not doing so it would result in loss or a haz-mat incident. Remember the multi page incident reports? CYA was the rule of the day. Then Kerry O'Brien got hurt on a surfing workout at T-11 at Zuma and away went surfing workouts. No one had the smarts to log it as a rescue board workout which they could not readily prevent.

(Editor's note: Now we know who to blame for that (now rescinded) multi-year surfing ban ! Woo Hoo ! :-) 10-4, copy that !)

When the lifeguard service became part of the Los Angeles County Fire Department we had a great opportunity to get more realistic in our training and lose some of the bad CYA policies of B&H. Having heard him speak, I got Chief Deputy Larry Miller to come to our Permanent rechecks and his message was electrifying. The taxpayers paid us to do the right thing and it was not only OK but expected! . He called it “Wow Service” and the lifeguards jumped right on board. Those were exciting times for us.

It has been my observation that many non surfers will take a dry workout, some will avoid that as well. A hot shower follows with a nice lunch. It is easy for these folks to get into that “stay dry” comfort zone. Many of these people never touch a rescue board. Granted most of our rescues are close inshore or in large surf where a rescue board is a liability, however, it is one of the tools of the trade and invaluable in the right situation.

Lifeguards who surf know what the water temperature is at any given time of year. They know the power of the waves. The are cognizant of the bottom conditions and if called upon can damn well handle a rescue board. Surfing is fun and so gets you in the water when you otherwise might opt for warm and fuzzy. A surfing workout will place the lifeguard in the most likely spot to make a rescue if that becomes necessary while on a workout. Lifeguards who surf will spend a lot of time at the beach off duty and at least one that I know of, Dillon Jones, made a great rescue and saved a life while surfing in some extremely difficult circumstances. When going out into something nasty and dangerous I feel confident with a lifeguard surfer coming to back me up.

You won't find many “stay dry” lifeguard surfers!

Like anything else that is fun, surfing on-duty needs to be done when appropriate and for the allotted amount of time with your area covered. That's where self discipline and supervision comes into play."

Your Servant,

Randy DeGregori,
Chief Lifeguard, Retired and still OWD.

("Ocean Wet Daily", Copyright Randy DeGregori 2011. All Rights Reserved. Used here with permission.)

***

In the photo below, Randy, is shown at the head of the table implementing the related OWD policies, while surfing in Fiji with his buds in 2007, of "Cerveza Wet Daily" and "Scarfing Up Post Surf Session Grub Daily".

(Photo above courtesy of Randy DeGregori, from an earlier blog post.)

Many thanks to Randy DeGregori for his great story and for yet another acronym to remember (OWD), albeit a very legit acronym.

And just in from Veteran Zuma Recurrent, Ed Heinrich:

"I remember one particular story about a morning swim at Zuma HQ about 1966. Unknown to the buoy swimmer, the dive team was out underwater near the workout buoy, Lt Burnside saw one lone swimmer from below, he came up and grabbed the unsuspecting lifeguard. The young guard did not worry about the cold water for a few frightened moments."

Ed Heinrich
Zuma rookie 1965

***

Thanks Ed! 10-4


Until next time.....


"County Recurrent" News
http://CountyRecurrent.blogspot.com


("County Recurrent" Old School Churchill Fins In Hand At Zuma, Friday, 10.01.2010, implementing the DeGregori OWD policy).

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*** Keeping the County Recurrent "in the loop"..... whether he/she likes it or NOT ! ***

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"OLS Ruben Carmona's Christmas Eve 2010 Rescue", by Adam Sandler

Just in from County Recurrent's own freelance photographer-reporter-paddler-media liaison, Adam Sandler:

"On Christmas eve, I was on a bike ride from Torrance to MDR and back when I spotted OLS Ruben Carmona trying to get the attention of the "skipper" of a pontoon boat (yes, a pontoon boat!) that had posted up just off shore of El Segundo/Dockweiler beach. Ruben was working in Tower 60 when around 1300 hrs a boat that was motoring along just outside the sets, stopped just north of T61 to enjoy the view, and began drifting close to a groin or jetty in front of that tower. Ruben drove his area vehicle from T-60, parked it facing toward the boat and tried to get the attention of the boater using the PA and the siren. When he couldn't get any response, Ruben wetsuits up, straps on a Peterson tube and a pair of fins, and paddleboards out to make contact.


As he paddled out, his back up responds Code 3.






The oblivious boaters still don't hear the siren of Ruben's area unit, which continues to wail while he paddles out. Once Ruben gets to the bow of the boat, he gets the expected "Huh, what?" reaction from the "skipper." Ruben advises the boaters of their precarious situation, and the boat fires up and goes on it's way - tragedy averted.




Btw, water temp was around 54 degrees and the air 56/57 with a chilly 3-5 knot wind; so it was not a summery-like day like we've been having recently."

Best,

Adam

(All Photos by & Copyright Adam Sandler 2011. Used here with permission.)

*** *** ***

Many Thanks to Adam for sharing this great story and his photos! Ruben basically kicked ass on this rescue as well. "Rumor" also has it that the boater and first mate may have been paying attention to the wrong, er, jetty synonym...

10-4


Until next time.....


"County Recurrent" News
http://CountyRecurrent.blogspot.com

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*** Keeping the County Recurrent "in the loop"..... whether he/she likes it or NOT ! ***

DISCLAIMER: County Recurrent is not affiliated with nor sponsored by LACOLA or LACoFD.

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Great Czer's Ghost, er, Rescue !...

Just in from LACo OLS, Harry Varnas:

"On Tuesday Jan 18, 2011, LACo OL Andrew Czer was at the Charthouse Malibu point near Topanga beach checking out the surf.

Suddenly an adult male not paying attention fell almost 30 feet to the rocks below. Andrew and another surfer found the unconscious man and called lifeguards for help.

Capt Robert Torres and OLS, Sam Bertolet and additional fire - paramedic crews responded. Andrew stayed on scene and used his EMT skills to help treat the patient.

The patient was transported with the stokes basket and later airlifted by the "LA County Fire Hawk 15" helicopter to the hospital.

Andrew also worked the busy Martin Luther King holiday the day before and had a double rescue in Venice as the sun was setting.

Congratulations Andrew for your fine rescue work."

Harry Varnas


(In the photo above, OL Andrew Czer, off duty and gloved up!)


(In the photo above, OLS, Sam Bertolet, in his red LACo fleece)


(In the photo above, OL Andrew Czer, assists in extricating the victim by backboard over the rocks)

All photos by Harry Varnas. Used here with permission.

*** *** ***

Heads up! Just in from Andrew Czer! Andrew's own remarks about this team effort to help this accident victim.

"Will,

Thanks for the post. It was great to be a part of this rescue. Rob (Torres) and Sam (Bertolet) were great on scene. When down on the rocks with the tide coming up (and the large sets rolling in), Sam kept reassuring the wary firefighters that we wouldn't get swept out to sea.

Also, the surfer who assisted me in the initial response was a Will Rodgers JG with me back in the day. He is also an EMT; the operation wouldn't have been successful without him. His name is Ted.

In addition to this, Rob made sure that I was covered medically for the exposure I had from the victim's blood. So really this was a team effort. Oh and I can't forget Harry who I had talked to when I called CSHQ after seeing the unconscious patient on the rocks. Harry got the ball rolling in regards to the lifeguard and fire response.

Thanks!
Andrew

PS thanks for always keeping us informed. It is greatly appreciated."

*** *** ***


Many Thanks to Harry Varnas for sharing this great rescue story and photos with all of us and, of course, kudos and high five's to OL Andrew Czer for delaying his surf session and launching and participating in this successful rescue operation.

Stay tuned as we try to hunt down "Surfer Ted" and get more of his back story !

Additionally, we would be remiss if we didn't give a special shout-out to LACo Recurrent Andrew Czer and his surf bud, "Surfer Ted", for proving that "going surfing saves lives!"

Until next time.....


"County Recurrent" News
http://CountyRecurrent.blogspot.com

Service • Training • Commitment

*** Keeping the County Recurrent "in the loop"..... whether he/she likes it or NOT ! ***

DISCLAIMER: County Recurrent is not affiliated with nor sponsored by LACOLA or LACoFD.

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Fundraiser for LACo Recurrent and S.B. City Fire Captain, Mike Moses !

Reminder: There will be a Fundraiser for LACo Recurrent and S.B. City Fire Captain, Mike Moses on Sunday, January 30, 2011, in Santa Barbara, Calif. · 12:00pm - 3:00pm

Here is the link to the Facebook page that has been set up by Mike's colleagues at Santa Barbara City Fire Dept to help Mike and his family as he continues to battle cancer:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=447574196048set=a.486676941048.273671.684951048&ref=notif¬if_t=photo_reply#!/event.php?eid=132565136804229


Date/Time:

Sunday, January 30, 2011 · 12:00pm - 3:00pm

Location:

Santa Barbara Carriage & Western Arts Museum
129 Castillo St.
Santa Barbara, CA

A brother in need is a brother indeed. Our thoughts and prayers and group strength goes out to Mike, his family and friends as we fight this battle together!

10-4

Until next time.....


"County Recurrent" News
http://CountyRecurrent.blogspot.com

Service • Training • Commitment

*** Keeping the County Recurrent "in the loop"..... whether he/she likes it or NOT ! ***

DISCLAIMER: County Recurrent is not affiliated with nor sponsored by LACOLA or LACoFD or SBFD.

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

"LIQUID LANDINGS" by Bruce R Morgan

(Google image photo source: zagrodny.blogspot.com)



IN THE SUMMER MONTHS OF THE EARLY 1980's we had a special spectacle at Rose Avenue.

Background to the incident - Venice had been a rescue hot spot since way before my time, 1975-2004. The surprising area was Brooks Ave., which had a peak in the late 50's. Brooks also had a headquarters or a big post tower "back in the day".

At the time of the Liquid Landing, the Brooks Ave. tower sat very high off the ground on top of the jetty that was there at the time and because it was one of those tall fiberglass towers. This enabled the lifeguard at Brooks Ave. to have an exceptional perspective of the beach. Now up at Rose Ave where the incident of the Liquid Landing occurred was an on again off again rip tide that created a wedge of water that looked like an aqua launching ramp which often trapped as many as 36 to 40 bathers - this I personally saw and responded to many times.

We had some great rescues at the Rose Ave. rip tide with back up coming from Thornton Ave and Brooks Ave while Westminster and Wavecrest guards watched the breakwater north area. The worst thing you could do was to allow all guards to pile into one incident leaving the beach unguarded.

On this one particular day in the mid 1980s in July or August, a small light plane dragging a sign developed engine trouble. The pilot was fortunately able to make a perfect landing on the water despite having no pontoons. As the lifeguard personnel reacted, including myself, the guard at Rose - name withheld - literally became unglued and hit the water screaming to his left and right with his eyes large and wild. Amidst his excitement he was, however, able to alert people to leave the water and suspected that he would have to dive for the trapped pilot.

Meanwhile, on my run from Brooks Ave. to the location of the plane at Rose Ave., I was able to observe the pilot swimming into the beach as the panicked lifeguard was swimming out. They literally passed each other and it took everything I had to not fall down and laugh hysterically at the developing chaos and circumstances.

As I had come from Brooks Ave, I had the advantage of seeing something that the Rose Ave. guard had missed - no fault of his. Before the surf line amidst the swimming lookie loos and the lifeguards in ardent rescue mode there was a lone, quiet and nonchalant swimmer with a shirt on. He was bearded and looked like the dog that had just stolen the thanksgiving dinner. He swam in and I mentioned to the guards I caught up with that we may, in fact, have the pilot accounted for - that was in fact the case.

However, there was not a darn thing wrong with the full response in progress since there may have been a passenger inside the plane. With our Baywatch rescue boat on scene the plane sank but was in tow. With all hands accounted for, we all returned to shore and I saw the pilot sitting in the area unit vehicle which at that time we called "205" (our Venice North patrol truck). He was clearly embarrassed since the story was already circulating that he had run out of gas. This out of gas situation, by the way, can happen to very good aviators who are flying against headwinds that were not foreseen, although I don't think that was the case here.

We were lucky that day because I cannot imagine where this guy would have landed if he was forced down into the middle of one of our typical forty victim rip tides that occur at this exact spot.

The pilot motto for unscheduled landings is pick something soft and cheap. Our motto, of course, is when in doubt GO and Go till all persons are accounted for. It was a good day and good test of our Venice Lifeguard crew and it is always great when rescue operations end with success and a sense of humor...

Till Next Time - Cheers!
Bruce R Morgan



*** *** ***

Many Thanks to Bruce for sharing this interesting rescue story with all of us. If any of our readers would like to share a rescue story with us, please let us know.


Until next time.....


"County Recurrent" News
http://CountyRecurrent.blogspot.com


Service • Training • Commitment

*** Keeping the County Recurrent "in the loop"..... whether he/she likes it or NOT ! ***

DISCLAIMER: County Recurrent is not affiliated with nor sponsored by LACOLA or LACoFD.

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"The Origin of Baywatch Malibu", by Bob Burnside

("North County Swell". Photo by & Copyright H. Barry Stein 2011. All Rights Reserved. Used here with permission.)

The Origin of Baywatch Malibu

It was the winter of 1957, Zuma was the newest County Beach and staffed with three men daily, a call car crew and an officer. A large Pacific Storm had struck along the coast of California with howling winds and large wind driven surf. Water temps had dropped to 48 degrees and the sand was blinding.

In the late afternoon, suddenly the Headquarters’ switchboard lit up like a Christmas tree. Lt. Fields answered the first call and then switched the second over to me. My call was from the Malibu Sheriffs office relating that they were receiving numerous calls that a boat was overturned off Leo Carrillo State Beach, 8 miles north of Zuma. Lt. Fields dispatched the call car immediately to the location as the switchboard kept lighting up with incoming calls about the capsized boat.

(Shown in map above is Leo Carrillo State Beach; Google Image Source Info:
http://kshapiro.net/Scuba/images/LeoCarrilloNorthGoogleMap_640x320%2872dpi%29.jpg)

In those days, our only call car was a “Hand Me Down Old International Pick Up” transferred to the division from the Parks and Recreation Department. Its top speed was 55 mph… and would vapor lock, if taken over 60 mph... It was always embarrassing to be on a code 3 and have other vehicles go bye us smiling, as we would floor this “old rusty bucket” as much as we dared. Hoping to make it go faster.

(Photo above shows the very same "old rusty bucket" still in use at Zuma in 1957; shown here circa early 1950's, including, Cal Porter at far left. Photo courtesy of Cal Porter.)

As the Call Car driver, also assigned to the call car was (future Chief) Howard Lee, who had just recently been assigned to Zuma from Hermosa, after his discharge from the 82nd Airborne. Lee was quickly about to get a serious baptism into a Zuma winter ocean rescue, in freezing water and howling winds…

Arriving on the scene, 4 people were observed hanging on to a 15 ft.skiff, approximately 1 ½ miles off shore. Having more experience with the county rescue board , I started down the embankment with this 11 foot hollow, 55 lb., Peterson Rescue Board. Entering the water I told Lee to contact Zuma for help from the U.S. Coast Guard at Point Hueneme, which was about 12 miles north of the location, and radio Headquarters and have Lt. Fields contact Paradise Cove to see if the commercial fishing boat, “The Lennobrok”, could be dispatched. The paddle was nearly more than I could handle, given the conditions… and made even worse as in that period wet suits had not been developed. Upon arriving at the capsized boat, I found that the victims were disoriented, frightened and near panic. I positioned all of them on the windward side of the craft to avoid its lines and gear from entangling them. Three of the younger victims were in fair shape, considering the circumstances, but the fourth was an elderly man and who was going into hypothermia rapidly.

Hoping that a vessel was well under way to assist in the rescue, I moved from victim to victim, assuring them that help was on the way. The wind kept moving the rescue board away from the craft so I had to swim quickly to retrieve it several times. The Highway was also now packed with vehicles from the Sheriff’s Dept, Fire Dept., CHP and spectators. Red light and sirens… created a wild scene, as viewed by those hanging on to the capsized craft… “Which didn’t help with keeping them calm”.

Time now became a major factor as over 45 minutes had passed and a decision needed to be made. Recognizing that the elder victim might likely die if not brought ashore immediately, I asked the young three victims if they could hang on until I got the fading victim to the beach. I told them I would return to them as quickly as possible. They agreed, and struggling with the conditions, I finally landed the victim on the beach exhausted. I handed the heavy board over to Howard Lee, and said, “go get um “Howie!” Lee was up to the task; he was entering a raging ocean on his first ocean rescue. It was a tough paddle in extreme conditions, over two large kelp beds by a novice paddler, but one with a big heart and determined to get to the remaining three victims. On his arrival, he assured the group that help was coming…… “But the question was, when?” The two men were rotating from top of the hull, into the water, while the one woman, was the only victim that kept calm and remained in the water. “Howie” had his hands full!

It was another 1 ½ hours, when out of the west-northwest I noticed a large Navy Crash vessel approaching... It headed directly to the location and pulled the three victims on board, returning them to the Naval Facility at Point Hueneme. Lee paddled back to shore frozen and exhausted.

The elderly man had long earlier been transported via ambulance to the Malibu Emergency Hospital, and recovered after a few hours of thawing and medication.

I went down to the beach to help Lee with the rescue board… and wondered whether “Howie” was ready to return to Hermosa after this ordeal… in which case I might have gone with him, if the opportunity had been presented to us by the Chief Stevenson. We both stood staring at each other, our bodies trembling with that cold type hurt… but both feeling accomplished that it all had turned out for the best.

As we walked back to the call car, suddenly all the vehicles on the coast highway started honking their car horns. People were coming up and patting the two of us on our backs, bringing us blankets and coffee… and just showing a lot of appreciation. Horns and the emergency vehicle sirens also started to howl in harmony with the public. It was a warm feeling for us two young Zuma Lifeguards.

Now, after glorying “Howie” and myself... The point to be made about this incident was that it brought a HUGE amount of Press coverage. The editors of the Malibu Times and the Santa Monica papers blasted the County Board of Supervisors for not funding a Rescue Boat for Malibu. The entire community was up in arms and a large contingent gather at the next Board Meeting in Los Angeles to express the rage.

Needless to say, it took only two weeks when the Fourth district Supervisor, Burton Chace, put forth a motion to immediately fund a Rescue Boat for Malibu. The motion passed unanimously.

With that knowledge in hand, Skipper Micky O’Brien and Chief Bud Stevenson had the plans on the table, in a month… and thus Baywatch Malibu came to be and was operational the following summer season. The first summer Baywatch Malibu made numerous beach rescues and over 75 boat rescues in the northern division.

Yes, the power of the press is a tool not to be forgotten…

Bob Burnside

(Copyright Bob Burnside 2011. All Rights Reserved. Used here with permission.)

*** *** ***

Wow! Great Winter Rescue Story, eh?! Thanks Bob ! Many good lessons to remember and keep in mind when a winter rescue situation arises... victim triage, boat-victim management, paddleboard security, fitness, etc. Fantastic!

Stay tuned because we are hopeful we will soon have some follow up commentary directly from Howard Lee about his recollections of his paddle to and fro during this same rescue sequence.

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Additional General Info re Leo Carrillo State Beach:

http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=616

http://kshapiro.net/Scuba/DiveSites/LeoCarrilloNorth/LeoCarrilloNorth.html

10-4


Until next time.....


"County Recurrent" News
http://CountyRecurrent.blogspot.com

(Above, the "County Recurrent" Call Car/G Wagon, leased from "Butki ATV Leasing and Sales, LLC", a Samoan Limited Liability Company with offices in Australia, NZ, Bali, Tavarua, Saipan, Japan, Korea, Samoa, Guam, So. Africa, Egypt, Hawaii and California.)


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"THE TWO DIVES", by Cal Porter

THE TWO DIVES


(Photo above, The Zuma Beach Emergency Crew, Late 1940's.
Left to right: Cal, Don, Ray, Mel, Mac. Photo courtesy of Cal Porter.)

It was late afternoon in the early 1950’s, going into evening. Most of the lifeguards at Zuma Beach were about to go off duty when the old switchboard at headquarters lit up with a phone call. The sheriff on the line quickly relayed the information that there was a diver down somewhere between Malibu Colony and the surfing beach; Emergency!!! With me as the senior man and driver, six of us piled into the old International Truck that was our emergency vehicle, seen in the photo above, and with red lights and siren going we headed south on Pacific Coast Highway. It would take us about fifteen minutes to reach the site and it had probably been at least that long before we had received the call. With that amount of elapsed time we realized that this would more than likely be a recovery operation rather than a rescue. There was always the chance the diver had left the water unknown to his fellow diver who had reported the incident.

Our diving equipment in the 1940’s and early 1950’s for rescue or recovery consisted of diving masks and fins, that was all. The aqualung had been invented some years earlier but was not available as yet. Wet suits would be along in a few years but at this time only a few experimental, primitive examples existed. None of the lifeguards had them. Even our masks and fins had only been around for a dozen years. There was no Baywatch Lifeguard Rescue Boat at that time. We did have paddleboards.

Arriving on the scene, the victim’s diving buddy quickly pointed out where his friend had last been seen, and yes, he was wearing a diving suit of some sort, and no, there was no way he could have left the water without being seen. This was a diving area I knew well, it being one of my favorites for abalone and lobsters. I had the divers spread out and we began searching the area quickly since we would soon lose our daylight. We were all pretty good, breath-holding free divers but after forty-five minutes of looking our visibility was almost gone. The unsuccessful search was over, called off. The divers, very cold by now, all left the water. However, I had drifted quite a distance south in an attempt to cover as much ocean bottom as possible in the short time left. With visibility being overtaken by darkness I took one last dive before leaving the water. What I saw on that last dive was the biggest bull lobster I had ever seen, and I had dived for them most of my life. The largest California Spiny Lobster on record was three feet long and weighed over twenty-six pounds. This one had to go fifteen pounds or more. What to do? Well, the search was over, called off, the group on the beach and the sheriff had dispersed in the waning light. The only ones left were the lifeguards waiting for me in the semi-darkness by the truck. I dove again, brought the monster to the surface, and then to the beach. It fed a good many of us for dinner that night.

Some days later the diver was still missing, no doubt by now taken miles away by the ocean waves, drifts, and currents, probably never to be found. My friend and I were off on a diving jaunt this day, and we eventually ended up in this same area where we knew the diving was usually good. After many dives we had done well, and after a couple more we would be through for the day. By this time I was in the very spot where the victim’s buddy said he had last seen his friend. I took a deep breath, held it, and dove toward the bottom. There below me, facing the ocean floor, was a diver. He was wearing an early version of a black wet suit and had a weight belt around his waist. It at first startled me to see another diver that I hadn’t known was out there, but the realization of who this was hit home when the surge of the sea rolled him over on his back and he looked straight at me through his diving mask. I shot up for air and called for my friend to come and help me. We managed to bring him to the surface, get him to the beach, call the sheriff, and it was all soon over. He hadn’t been tangled in the kelp, and the wonder was why his body had returned to the very spot where we had searched so carefully a few days before. Was it a faulty wet suit filled with water, or too heavy a weight belt that caused his demise? We could see no reason why he had drowned, and I don’t think it was ever determined.


(Photo above shows Malibu Point. Photo courtesy of Cal Porter.)

I had gone to sea one day to find a lost diver and returned with a giant lobster.

I had gone to sea another day to find a giant lobster and returned with the body of a man.

Cal Porter

(The Two Dives", by Cal Porter. Copyright Cal Porter 2010. All Rights Reserved. Used here with permission.)

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Many thanks to Cal for sharing this great story with us !

Stay tuned as you will soon read about another rescue several years later that also began with a call to Zuma Lifeguard Headquarters and involved the same rescue vehicle transport!...

10-4


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"County Recurrent" News
http://CountyRecurrent.blogspot.com


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Kahoolawe Wowee!

(Photo above shows the Hawaiian island of Kahoolawe on January 8, 2011. Photo by & Copyright Jeff McConnel. All Rights Reserved. Used here with permission.)

Here is what Jeff had to say about this photo:

"The great rains of late have ended a 2 year drought..nature rebounds in green....and the red soil and blue water really do it for me....this pic was taken with my telephoto lens from 10,000 ft....solo flying back in the Cherokee from Honolulu..."

and in a follow up this morning, Jan. 10th, Jeff also said:

"Aloha Will,
You have my permission to post this pic...It is of the island Kahoolawe, off of Maui and Lanai..The red soil and freshly green keawe (mesquite)trees are dramatic colors to go with the ocean blue....shot at 10,000 ft. out the window of my plane...."


(Photo of Jeff McConnel, Jan. 8, 2011, at sunset on the Big Island of Hawaii, courtesy of Jeff.)

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Many thanks and Mahalo to Big Island resident and retired L.A. City and LACo Recurrent, Jeff McConnel for sharing this amazing photo of Kahoolawe! It is Way Kool!

10-4


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http://CountyRecurrent.blogspot.com

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"Memories of the North Shore: Sunset 1968" by Bill Powers

(Map Source: Shark's Cove, North Shore)

Memories of the North Shore:
Sunset 1968
By Bill Powers
(Edited and transcribed by John Thomas)

When I first saw Sunset, I was surfing a place called Kammieland, just on the other side of the rip from Sunset. My friend Luke and his girlfriend lived in front of the break. I watched Sunset a lot before I surfed it. The amount of water that moves down the point during a set is impressive. It feeds a lateral current that runs down the beach and forms a rip that can have head high troughs with breaking waves going back out to sea. The big offshore wind blows straight off the island with the rip, out to sea.

Before the advent of leashes, people would lose their boards in the rip, which would disappear out to sea never to be seen again. Bright colored boards were the way to go and red and yellow colors were common colors on the north shore.

The big offshore trade winds that blew straight at the Sunset break would stand the wave up another third larger than its actual height and would blow spray off the wave top one hundred yards outside you and prevent the wave from breaking until it was fifty yards inside you. The amount of water contained in one wave and the speed it would go by you was truly amazing and humbling.

I moved onto Sunset point to get as close to the break as I could. I surfed it every time it got good. The best surfers from all over the world would be out at sunset throughout the professional contest season. Day after day to be able to watch the different styles of great surfers in epic overhead waves was something I will never forget.

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Many Thanks to Bill for another great story and to JT for passing it along to us and for his transcription services. 10-4!

"Surfing Atlas" Kammieland Reference Heads Up: http://www.surfingatlas.com/spot/4181

Below, a recent photo dated Dec. 27, 2010 in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., showing, Left to right, LACo veteran/retired OLS, Bill Powers, his golden retriever, LR, and John Thomas.


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"Sunset Shot, Ventura County Style" by John Thomas

(Photo source: Photo by & Copyright John Thomas 2011. Used here with permission.)

Heads up! Just in from LACo (and L.A. City) Recurrent and OLS, Retired, John Thomas, a most amazing shot of the setting sun earlier this evening, Friday, Jan. 7, 2011, somewhere off the coast of Ventura County.

From: John Thomas
Subject: Surfin at faria Ventura county .... Lookin good
Date: January 7, 2011 5:09:36 PM PST
To: Will Maguire

"course ye kin use the pix.... Surf is picking up..."

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John Thomas (aka, JT) Close up:

A handful of photos over the past 5 or 6 years at lifeguard events where JT has been captured on digital media with the "County Recurrent" archival camera equipment:

Below, at the Ron Brown Memorial on Santa Monica North several years ago; L2R: Angus Alexander, Kirk Thomas, Pat Jones, Alan Castro and JT:


Below, at the now legendary and infamous DWP (Doman Wisdom Powers) Retirement Party on the Santa Monica Pier at Rusty's, circa Spring 2004, shown here with Norton Wisdom:


Below, from June 2008 at Jimmy Makuta's Retirement Party at Jay Hopkins' house; shown here with young Renny and his dad, retired Santa Monica City and LACo Recurrent, Ron Richmond:


And last but not least, just a week ago, on Dec. 27, 2010 in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., while palling around with his fellow LACo veteran/retired OLS, Bill Powers and his golden retriever, LR:


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Thanks JT for sharing your cool photo and for your energy, enthusiasm, and friendship! Keep shootin' photos and we will keep posting. Hopefully, some more of your contemporaries will join in and help us post more lifeguard related content of interest to our readership. We are still holding our breath on a long ago promised story from Harold Dunnigan... ahem, ahem... :-)

10-4


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"County Recurrent" News
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New Year Central Section Drive By

"County Recurrent" did its first drive by this year of Central Section Headquarters this morning.

Here are some photos we captured for your consideration:





Below, the original HOT DOG ON A STICK stand, also infamous as the favored pick up spot for Arthur Verge... before he got married, of course...






Below, L2R, Central Section Captains, Dennis Morales and Angus Alexander



Hey!... isn't that the TAPLIN TROPHY?!...




Below, OLS Todd "Tex" Ribera, breaking out a New Years' "Double Shaka"! 10-4, Tex!




Below, Central Section OLS and Call Car Dude, Dominique Holden holdin' a slice of Central Section Chocolate Cake.


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http://CountyRecurrent.blogspot.com



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Jay Hopkins: Bigger Than Life!

(Photo above by Nathalie Locas Brouwer. Used here with permission.)

Just in from LACo Recurrent, retired, Nathalie Locas Brouwer (Ricky's better half)... a photo she took recently of the G I N O R M O U S mural/painting of Jay Hopkins on a wall adjacent to the 3rd St. Promenade in Santa Monica and next to the Milkin Institute along the alley between 3rd and 4th St., cross street Arizona.

"Hi Will,
Have you seen thus mural? It's in an alley just off 3rd street promenade.
It's Jay Hopkins. It's huge!
Nathalie"

It's been there for many years, so many, in fact, that we forgot about it. Many Thanks to Nathalie for capturing this great painting of our great lifeguard colleague and friend, LACo OLS, Jay Hopkins. And come to think of it, when was the last time you saw Jay working a tower with a rescue can in hand? Seems like forever since he promoted up to the call car and headquarters shifts.

10-4

p.s. Bonus Photos:

1. from circa Nov. 2008; L2R: Dom and Jay in a photo entitled,
"Wax On, Wax Off".


2. from Jake's retirement party at Zuma Beach, Sept. 2008,
L2R: Angus, Jay, Jimmy, and Fernando



3. from August 2010, during the Taplin Relay in Redondo Beach,
with Jimmy and Ryan Makuta


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