Cookin’ up some fun

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT BEACH -- Spring’s not just in the air. It’s showing up on the

beach as well.

On Sunday alone, an estimated 50,000 people enjoyed fair weather on

the sands of Newport Beach, according to officials.

“This is definitely it,” said Newport Beach Lifeguard Capt. Jim

Turner. “It’s the beginning of the season.”

While temperatures hovered in the low to mid-70s along the coast,

water temperatures touched 60 Sunday and 61 Monday, he said.

The city’s team of 14 permanent and 175 seasonal lifeguards is gearing

up for the busiest season on the beach, Turner said.

“We’re just finishing ordering the equipment for the summer, from new

telephones to swimming trunks,” he said. “The spring towers will be up

next week, and we’ll start bolstering our staff before Easter.”

There were no rescues last weekend, but to get an idea of what is to

come, Newport Beach lifeguards last season made 5,622 rescues, prevented

almost 101,000 potential accidents, performed 6,767 medical aids and

helped 538 lost people.

Although clear skies have been forecasted for the next few days, the

weather is likely to fluctuate, said Miguel Miller, meteorologist with

the National Weather Service in San Diego.

“The weather we’ve been having lately is summer-like,” he said. “But

it won’t stay this way till summer. It’ll most likely flip-flop, and

we’ll probably get another storm before the end of spring.”

One challenge faced by local lifeguards is the diversity of the beach

population in Newport, Turner said.

“We have such a divergent group of visitors,” he said. “We get

everyone from rugged surfers in the Wedge to regular surfers and families

-- all on six miles of sand.”