Crime & Safety

Lifeguard Q&A: Beach Safety for Memorial Day Weekend

A San Diego lifeguard scheduled to patrol Mission Bay this weekend shares his safety tips for residents headed to beaches for the holiday.

In lifeguard lingo, Memorial Day is Super Bowl Sunday.

The crowds, the rip currents and the alcohol use often combine to make for a very busy three-day weekend for the rescuers, said Rancho Peñasquitos resident and 24-year veteran San Diego lifeguard Sgt. Rich Stropky.

“This is what we train for. This is what we are here to do. It’s an exciting time for us because we get to do what we've been trained to do—to help protect people,” he said.

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In a Q&A with Patch, Stropky shared some of the most important safety tips for the holiday weekend, from keeping kids safe in the water to what to do if you get caught in a rip current.

Stropky also reminds people having pool parties at home to keep gates locked to prevent children from getting into the pool unsupervised.

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Quick Tips

  • Don’t drink and swim.
  • Don’t float where you can’t swim.
  • Wear Coast Guard-approved flotation devices, not little “floaties” and water wings.
  • Use leashes on boogie boards and surfboards.
  • Never dive in head first.
  • Reapply sunscreen throughout the day and stay hydrated.

Q: What are some safety tips that apply year round, holiday or not?

When you get to the beach, check in with a lifeguard, Stropky said. They can point out the good and bad areas, point out the proper zones for swimming and surfing, he said.

Parents should also talk with their kids about what to do if they get separated, such as identifying landmarks and notifying a lifeguard at the nearest tower, he said.

Q: How do children usually get lost at the beach, and what can parents do to prevent that?

Sometimes children are found several miles from where they were last seen, Stropky said. “They are having so much fun they’re just oblivious. ... They pick a direction and just walk,” he said.

Then, when kids realize they’re lost, they tend to just keep walking around, taking themselves farther away from their family, he said.

“If you're sitting on the beach and you see a younger kid that is just by themselves and just walking, then that’s usually a telltale sign,” Stropky said.

Parents should make sure kids know to contact a lifeguard if they’re lost and take note of the number on the tower nearest to the family, he said. Beachgoers can also keep an eye out for wandering children and ask them if they are lost, or point them out to lifeguards he said.

Q: How can parents keep an eye on their kids while they’re in the water?

“We don't want parents to think that now we are their baby sitters because it’s still their responsibility to protect their children and we always want them to swim with somebody,” he said.

Q: What is a rip current and what should you do if you get caught in one?

It’s similar to a river that flows out to sea, pulling the sand with it, Stropky said.

“You're going to have deeper water pulling away from the beach. Suddenly, you walk into it from waste deep and suddenly you step in this hole, and the water’s pulling you out,” Stropky said.

Many swimmers try to head directly back to shore, but that tires them out because of the force of the current, Stropky said. Instead, swim parallel to the shore, heading toward the banks, to get past the current and head back to the shore, he said.

Lifeguards expect the rip currents to be strong all weekend, he said.

(Here is a short video explaining what to do.)

Boating Safety Tips

(From the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department)

General Vessel Speed
No person may operate a vessel at a speed greater than 5 miles per hour within 100 feet of a swimmer or surfer or within 200 feet of a beach frequented by swimmers.

Ocean Vessel Speed
No person may operate a vessel in excess of 5 miles per hour within 1,000 feet of the oceanfront coastline of the City of San Diego. Separate boating regulations apply to Mission Bay.

Mission Bay Vessel Speed
The speed limit on Mission Bay from sunset to sunrise is 5 miles per hour. At other times, certain areas have a designated speed limit of 5 miles per hour or less. These include:

  1. Wherever buoys are posted with a 5 mile per hour limit
  2. Near bridges
  3. Within 100 feet of shore
  4. Within 100 feet of another vessel

Minimum Age
No person under the age of 12 may operate a motorized vessel with more than 15 horsepower. Children ages 12 to 16 must have a person 18 years of age or older onboard to operate such a vessel. (There are some limited exceptions.)

Equipment
Although equipment requirements vary depending on the size and type of boat, most pleasure boaters are required to have the following on board while underway:

  1. One throwable flotation device
  2. One wearable flotation device for each person on board
  3. One marine type fire extinguisher for motorboats of a closed hull construction
  4. Navigation lights if operating after sunset
  5. One sound producing device
  6. One visual distress signal
  7. Appropriate registration cards, numbers, and stickers


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