ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Summertime’s Drowning Pool

The warm sun burned off the morning fog last weekend and lured thousands to the beach. But early summer’s promise masks a perennial danger. Too easily, those who are inexperienced or unaware can fall victim to the awesome power of ocean currents and waves. So the drowning season has begun: A 30-year-old Huntington Beach woman was killed Sunday when a storm-generated wave swept her off a rocky ledge and into the churning surf of an underwater cave at Three Arch Bay in South Laguna. The same Pacific storm system on Saturday resulted in the drowning of a Santa Ana man who had been fishing off a jetty at Marineland Cove on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

These incidents suggest the danger. And statistics from Orange County beaches alone tell a story. Last year, lifeguards in Newport Beach made 2,772 rescues in July and August. Huntington Beach, the fabled playground of surfing lore, reported nearly 2,000 rescues for 1990, about 1,500 of them made necessary because swimmers had underestimated the power of riptides.

The incredible number of routine rescues suggests public ignorance of, or inattention to, hidden dangers. Last Sunday, for example, lifeguards at Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Huntington State Beach reported making more than 250 rescues. That was due to the high surf and riptides, threats that literally were flagged in cautionary yellow by lifeguards.

Moreover, lifeguards say riptides can be easily recognized: The water is frothy and brown, and the flow of water back to sea tends to flatten incoming waves. When caught in a riptide, they say, swim parallel to the beach to get free of the current. Another bit of good advice: Parents, keep track of your children. With thousands on a beach, lifeguards can’t see everything.

Neither the right shades nor sunscreen is enough to make it a fun day at the beach. Better bring along some respect for the destructive power of the ocean as well.