OL Recheck Swim: Friday, May 21, 2021: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Dateline: 26th St., Manhattan Beach, Calif. at the Training Center at and after 0800 hrs... What were the conditions like? Think: Big Wednesday meets Victory At Sea!... A NW swell with wind, a sweeping lateral current from right to left... meanwhile for the first two heats of lifeguards, the course was two right shoulder buoy turns AGAINST the current... Add to that 3 - 4 foot sloppy consistent surf with very short intervals..... In short, fun times..... Here are some photos and videos which capture some of the drama but certainly not all of it given that I was in the first heat and focused on getting out through the danger zone and finding myself 50 yards in the wrong direction (south) of the first buoy... yet did make it under 13 minutes and don't have to do it again. :-) The early bird gets the.... first heat

*** Video #1: Pre-Swim Reconnaissance ***

And the troops start to show up for the 0800 hrs recheck, with other rechecks at 0900, 1000, and 1100 hrs...

*** Video #2: Shoreline Pre-Swim Course Reconnaissance ***

And it's getting close to SHOWTIME!... as the Safety Team is gathering...

And then both the first heat and second heat of swimmers were launched..... sorry, no photos of the first heat and I only remembered to take some photos just before the first four swimmers in the second heat were finishing... And you should have seen the majority of swimmers in the second heat get swept by the right to left lateral current south of the first buoy, even though they started to the north of the second buoy to compensate for the lateral current!... I tell ya it was HOOVERING!... So the next photos pick up as the first four swimmers to finish from the second heat run up to the finish line...

*** Video #3: Post-Swim Video from the Beach Shower... ***

And then on the way off the beach, back upstairs to the Training Center, I captured some more photos of other Ocean Lifeguards arriving for later rechecks that same day and, lucky for them, they will get to swim with the current as began with the 3rd heat... OL Chris Ro, below, followed by yours truly thanks to Chris grabbing my camera and taking my photo! Thanks Chris!...

Additional shots of lifeguards in waiting.....

NOTE: Close up photo immediately above shows Heat 3 swimmers swimming out through the surfline just to right of the right buoy, e.g., in the reverse direction (of heats 1 and 2) due to the lateral current and the "Powers That Be" making the change on the beach due to the elements and the lesson learned from Heat 2 with the majority of the swimmers in said heat getting swept from right to left inside the surfline, with quite a few not making the 13 minute time limit... *** Video #4: Post-Swim Video from the Parking lot of The Third Heat... *** NOTE: This is the heat that got to swim the course right to left, e.g., buoy b to buoy a and back to shore..... with the current!

And then I hit the road for a post-recheck celebration with a #Fantastic breakfast at the Fantastic Cafe in El Segundo!...

========== That's all Folks! Until next time..... "County Recurrent" News *** All photos and videos by and Copyright Will Maguire 2021. *** *** ***

Audit #4: LACo OL Recheck Swim Course, Wed., May 19, 2021

Dateline: Wednesday morning, 8:35 a.m., at 26th St. out front of the Training Center... Swim Audit #4 (aka, practice swim) of the OL Recheck Swim Course. Today's result: 9 minutes and 30 seconds. Caught a small wave again! Knock on wood...

Video #1: Pre-Swim Video of OL Recheck Swim Course (at approx. 8:35 a.m.)

Video #: Post-Swim Video of OL Recheck Swim Course (at approx. 8:49 a.m.)

Post-swim wrist watch time confirmation...

Surf √ Shower √ Shave Ice?...

Strafing Manhattan Beach Pier...

#Gundo #FantasticCafe post-swim breakfast...

*** That's all, Folks ! *** --- Until next time... "County Recurrent" News (all photos and videos by and copyright will maguire 2021. all rights reserved). --- *** *** ***

Audit #2: LACo OL Swim Recheck Course, May 13, 2021

Dateline: Thursday morning, May 13, 2021 at the Training Center in Manhattan Beach, Calif. This morning was the first opportunity I had after the buoy course was officially measured by the Dept. and verified as 499 meters (swim course at a four foot tide, per measurement on May 11, 2021; with an additional (approx.) 63 meters of running to and from the berm. After having swam this course the previous Saturday, May 10, 2021 when it took me shore to shore 13 minutes, I was concerned that the course was longer than 500 meters of swimming as it should take me approximately 10 minutes to cover the swim course. So... today, May 13, 2021, I ran and swam and ran back to berm in approx. 10 minutes, 15 seconds (10:15)... well under the 13 minute ceiling. #BOOYAH!... Here are the photos and videos from before and after this morning's practice swim (off duty, on my own time and expense, etc. et al, yada yada yada...) Photos and video beforehand:

Below, Capt. Horne in his vehicle with some local tips and pointers of the inshore holes and sandbars! #Bravo!

Video #1: OL Recheck Swim Course, May 13, 2021

Photos and video post-swim:

Video #2: OL Recheck Swim Course, May 13, 2021

======== And then I hit the road back to Central Section BUT NOT BEFORE coffee and a pastry at TWO GUNS ESPRESSO on Highland!... #winning

================== That's all for now, Folks! Until next time..... Will Maguire, Editor, "County Recurrent" News (All photos and videos by and Copyright Will Maguire 2021. All Rights Reserved.) *** *** ***

Audit #3: LACo OL Recheck Swim Course

Dateline: Monday morning, May 17, 2021 at the Training Center. Off duty reconnaissance of swim recheck course and my third practice swim. Today with the help of a small wave near the finish, I ducked under 10 minutes berm to berm in 9:45. Photos and video beforehand:

Video #1: Recheck Swim Course, 05.17.2021

----- Photos and video post-swim:

Video #2: Recheck Swim Course, 05/17.2021

======== That's it, Folks!... Until next time..... "County Recurrent" News (All photos and videos by and Copyright 2021 Will Maguire. All Rights Reserved.) *** *** ***

2021 OL Recheck Swim Course Audit, Saturday, May 8, 2021

Dateline: Saturday morning, May 8, 2021 at the Training Center in Manhattan Beach. Photos and videos both before and after I swam the course solo starting at 8:30 a.m. Opinion/Comment: The course as set this morning on an approx. 4 foot tide with solid surf seemed significantly longer than the prescribed 500 meters, perhaps by as much or more than 100 meters. Below are two photographs I took just before I swam the course at 8:30 a.m. this morning:

*** Video Alert: 2021 OL Recheck Swim Course Audit: Video #1 https://youtu.be/mQLluTHjBcI

--- Below, photo shot at 8:45 a.m. after I finished the swim course:

*** Video Alert ! *** 2021 OL Recheck Swim Course Audit: Video #2 https://youtu.be/qp2PzHsOE80

--- note: Video #2 shot post-swim at approx. 8:45 a.m. ======= --- There you have it. I have separately been informed that the course will "probably" be reset and measured prior to the next recheck date on Friday, May 21, 2021... #WeShallSee... --- In any event, I have since requested that the swim course "DEFINITELY" be reset and validated at 500 meters. --- Until next time..... "County Recurrent" News http://CountyRecurrent.blogspot.com *** *** *** *** ***

Tower Audit-04.07.2021...

Dateline: Venice Beach and Santa Monica South, Wed, April 7, 2021...

__________ Until next time..... "County Recurrent" News http://CountyRecurrent.blogspot.com *** All photos by & Copyright Will Maguire 2021. *** =============================

*Boiteux Out, DeGregori Back In!...

Dateline: April 1st, 2021 In a stunning development, effective, today, Acting Chief, Fernando Boiteux, has announced his retirement and will be returning to his homeland, Brazil, where he has been appointed Chief Lifeguard of Ipanema Beach. x-ref: https://youtu.be/_1uEy-n4IsU Additonally, effective immediately, Retired Lifeguard Chief Randy DeGregori, will be returning as Chief Lifeguard to insure continuity and to boost morale as the result of Boiteux's sudden retirement to Ipanema Beach. As part of the negotiations to bring DeGregori back, the County has ceded to several of DeGregori's demands, including: 1. All lifeguard personnel must "Get Wet Daily" rain or shine. GetFit waterproof ankle bracelets (to be worn 24/7 365 days a year) with GPS technology, and A.I. bio-data software will track in real time, the time, place, salinity, water temp., elevation, etc., of lifeguard personnel in this regard. x-ref: https://countyrecurrent.blogspot.com/2011/01/ocean-wet-daily-by-chief-randy.html 2. All lifeguard personnel must also surf on their on-duty workouts. In a deal struck separately with Costco, lifeguard personnel can pick up a soft top WaveStorm surfboard (sorry, no branded Jerry Lopez boards) at any Costco retail location or order same through the Costco website at no charge. 3. Retired OLS Nikki Hudson will return as Assistant Chief and will run the Training Center, including the daily 0600 hrs buoy swims and paddleboard drills for all Training Center staff, as well as all OL/OLS training modules, JG programming, etc. 4. Retired OL Arthur Verge, Ph.d, will return to full time active duty and will be installed as President in the newly formed recurrent bargaining unit, LACORLA (L.A. County Recurrent Lifeguard Assn.), composed solely of Ocean Lifeguards (aka, Recurrents), e.g., no OLS and no Chiefs allowed. 5. Monthly "Beat The Chief" pier swims, alternating from Northern Section (at Paradise Cove), Central Section (Santa Monica and Venice Piers) and Southern Section (Manhattan Beach and Hermosa) will be instituted effective April 2021. Each of these 0700 hr "Beat The Chief" pier swims will be followed by a beachside bonfire tended by LACoFD firefighters, hot water rinses in Sparkletts bottles tended by LACo Beaches & Harbors staff, as well as hot beverages, donuts and pastries catered by the LACo Board of Supervisors. We will continue to update this post as more information becomes available. Until next time..... "County Recurrent" News ++++++++++ ========== ---------- * = April Fools!... ======================== ========================