‘Heroic’ lifeguards’ actions save 7 swimmers

James Meier

Two “heroic” lifeguards saved seven young swimmers Tuesday

afternoon after a series of large waves swept into 56th Street Beach,

a lifeguard captain said Wednesday.

About 5:20 p.m. Tuesday, an eight-wave set of 5-to 6-foot waves

caught the seven children off guard, said Newport Beach Lifeguard

Capt. Jim Turner. Lifeguard Taylor Bannert was on his way to warn the

children, all 10 to 14 years old, of the dangerous conditions when

the waves swept them off their feet, Turner said.

The only on-duty lifeguard in the area, Bannert grabbed his

36-inch-long buoy and swam in after the children, he said. Lifeguard

Chris Conway, who was not on-duty but on the beach at the time,

noticed the commotion and reported the incident, Turner said. He then

headed into the water to assist.

Five swimmers initially managed to grab hold of Bannert’s buoy,

but one slipped back into the surf, Turner said. Bannert yelled to

Lifeguard Supervisor Brent Ranek upon his arrival and pointed out the

fifth child, he said. Ranek then pulled the child to safety aboard a

nearby rescue boat. Conway then managed to ring in the other two

young swimmers.

“It was definitely the most dangerous and heroic rescue this

summer,” Turner said.

The entire rescue occurred over a five-minute span, he said.

“That’s long by our standards. It’s two to three minutes.”

Because it was low tide at the time, the children managed to make

their way farther out, but the set of waves sparked riptides, causing

the situation to become more severe, he said.

“It looks safe and it is safe if a large set of waves doesn’t come

in,” Turner said.

Waves have ranged in height from 2 to 6 feet over the last three

to four days, he said.

Turner said he will write a letter of commendation for the two

lifeguards.

“Seven victims is usually beyond that of one person,” Turner said.

Bannert and Conway have been with the city since 1999 and 1997,

respectively.