Beachgoers enjoy warm, safe weekend
Noaki Schwartz
NEWPORT BEACH -- The Independence Day weekend did not kick off with a
bang, which is precisely what local authorities were hoping for.
Despite annual fears of holiday melee, the Harbor Patrol and lifeguards
were relieved to see both residents and beachgoers quietly enjoying the
warm temperatures on Sunday.
“We’ve had no calls for assistance,” said Sgt. Donna Sotto of the Harbor
Patrol. “Though there was one call -- but that turned out to be OK and
not a big thing.”
Two days into the holiday weekend, the only unusual occurrence was the
water temperature. Usually cooler this time of year, temperatures crept
up to mid- to late-August heat at 70 degrees.
“This is very warm water this early in the season,” lifeguard Capt. Jim
Turner said.
Turner said he was not sure why the water was so warm, though he quipped
it probably had something to do with “El Nino, the Santa Maria and El
Pinto.”
And with the increased warmth, jellyfish -- those globular sea animals
with a nasty sting -- bobbed out to play. However, though places farther
south such as Laguna Beach have had some problems with the critters,
Newport Beach was relatively safe for swimmers.
“There have been some offshore but not many reports of jellyfish,” Turner
said.
However, there were still the rip currents that have claimed a number of
lives lately. Rip currents, like small rivers that float under the
surface, are caused by channels formed in the sandy bottom of the
beaches.
Lifeguards made several rescues but said this was expected with the
increased traffic during the holiday weekend.
Last month, five beachgoers were pulled out to sea and another San
Bernadino man taken out and drowned because of the powerful currents.
Inexperienced swimmers often try to fight against a powerful current
instead of swimming parallel to shore to escape it.
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