ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Wave Theory

The inviting surf has been up in Orange County these warm summer days, and the area’s growing surfing population has been jockeying for dwindling wave space like motorists weaving on a crowded freeway. Even a few old-timers, whose hair now may be close-trimmed and a shade gray, tempt the 40-something fates with a plunge in the surf. Where courage or a creaky back give way, there is always a Beach Boys tape to revisit.

We should remember that lurking in this sweet pleasantness of ocean breezes, pounding surf and summer memories is danger, even for the young and able-bodied who ride new-age boards. Last week, in heavy surf driven ashore from two hurricanes off Baja California, 360 swimmers had to be rescued in strong rip currents at county beaches. A high school student died in Seal Beach; a teen-ager disappeared off Huntington State Beach and an 18-year-old youngster broke his neck in the surf off San Clemente.

Our own beach-chair observations confirm reports that the waves are indeed overcrowded; the recent surf has been especially thunderous, and the able lifeguards are hard-pressed to keep tabs on all the oceangoing traffic.

If more lifeguards are not in the budget, a plea for common sense is in order. On the city streets, a red light means that traffic must “stop.” But in the heavy surf of recent days, the red flags raised on some area beaches seemed more like a matador’s gesture, luring the foolhardy. A word to the wise: Have fun in pursuit of the endless summer but respect the mighty power of the ocean.