No day at the beach

Lauren Vane

It’s official -- summer is here and so are the lifeguards. From

Irvine Cove to Treasure Island, the full force of Laguna Beach

lifeguards took to the beaches last weekend to begin high-season

patrol.

One look at a bronzed guard perched in a red tower chair and one

might think these guards have it all: sun, sand, a rock-solid

physique and an unbeatable view.

Lifeguarding on Laguna’s picturesque beaches may look like easy

money, but there’s nothing slack about averaging 2,000 water rescues

each year.

“It’s a lot, lot harder job than the public imagines,” said Marine

Safety Chief Mark Klosterman. “The elements and the amount of

responsibility can really wear you down.”

Laguna’s lifeguards are chosen from the best of the best, through

a tough tryout and grueling training process. A combination of the

unique marine environment and a swell of tourists during the summer

makes extensive preparation a necessity.

“Training was really, really hard,” said 16-year-old Noah Bauman,

of Laguna Niguel, a rookie lifeguard, who worked his first shift on

Sunday.

Laguna’s rocky coastline and isolated coves present a challenge to

lifeguards, Klosterman said. Guards at the coves are often alone and

do not have the backup that is available at some of the other

beaches, he explained.

Lifeguards are also tasked with supervising large crowds of

people, many of them tourists, who are not familiar with ocean

swimming, Klosterman said.

Last year, Laguna lifeguards made more than 115,000 preventative

contacts with beachgoers and attended to 3,700 medical-aid calls.

Lifeguards are first on the scene to any incident on the beach, and

they must be prepared to handle anything, Klosterman said.

Lifeguard tryouts are conducted in March and April and include a

vigorous combination of running and swimming in chilly waters. This

year, 50 lifeguard hopefuls tried out and barely more than half made

the cut.

Those who do succeed go on to a full year of rookie training,

during which they work under supervised conditions at Main Beach.

Noah is one of 29 new hires who will join the team of 45

lifeguards watching over Laguna’s beaches this summer.

“It’s really appealing to me,” Noah said. “I like the beach. I

like helping people, so it all tied in together.”

Lifeguarding is a major time commitment; this summer Noah will

work five days a week, eight hours a day.

All of Laguna’s lifeguards are talented and educated people who

demonstrate commitment both on and off the sand, Klosterman said.

Casey Parlette, 25, a third-generation lifeguard, is returning for

his 10th season this summer after spending eight months researching

new species of fish in the Amazon.

“It’s just the best job in the world,” said Parlette, a Southern

California native. “It’s a hard one to quit.”

While there’s a lot to love about working as a lifeguard in

Laguna, there is one part of the job that many lifeguards no longer

consider a perk.

“Every one of the full-time people has had skin cancer,”

Klosterman said.

Sun exposure may be part of the job description, but the marine

safety department is taking steps to prevent potentially dangerous

sunburns.

Sunscreen is provided for the guards and is a necessity,

Klosterman said. Each year, Marine Safety replaces tower chairs with

protective covered towers designed to get guards out of the sun,

Klosterman said.