Diving with Giant Stingrays

20 Years of the Quest

The Quest, started by Larry Moore, starts at the end of San Clemente Pier and ends at Balboa Pier. It took our group of 24 9 hours to complete the 26 miles of coastline.

Matuli Freshwater Surfing

Joe Matulis surfing Lake Michigan in Fall 2010

Joe Matulis got hooked on surfing while lifegaurding in Southern California, and moving back to Michigan for the school year wasn't going to stop him from fueling his new addiction. 

"Waves are more common in Michigan then you might think," Joe said. "You just need to know where to look."

Joe's favorite place to surf back home is on the lake. Lake Michigan is surrounded by private beaches and secret surf breaks. 

"The lake is best to surf in the fall. The water is warm and the wind brings in the best surf," Joe said. 

The falling air temperature over the warm lake water makes a strong wind the blows across the lake to form waves. Most of the waves on Lake Michigan are 1 to 2 feet, but Joe has surfed it as big as 6 feet.

"When you surf Michigan, you aren't looking for the biggest waves, but for the cleanest. It's an adventure to find where to go. It takes a long time to learn all the breaks and what conditions make them good," he said. 

Joe Matulis surfing Lake Michigan in the winter

After years of exploring the Michigan coastline, Joe has finally gotten a good feeling for where the best surf is. The breaks are kept a secret within the surfing community to keep the crowds down. Once you prove yourself in the water, local surfers will to share their secrets. 

The best waves might be in the fall, but winter storms can bring surfable waves from time to time. When they do, Joe is there. Not even the chunks of ice floating on the lakes surface stop him from getting in a surf session. 

The spring showers might not bring waves on the lake, but it doesn't leave surfers stranded. The heavy rain combined with snow melt floods the Red Cedar River to make a secret spot. Right in the middle of Michigan State University, a few days a year, the river forms a standing wave against the rocks. 

Joe learned about the standing wave by Pat Caldwell, a national champion body boarder. 

"I didn't believe Pat at first but after looking at it [the river] every day before class I finally saw it!" Joe said. 

Joe spent the next few days studying the wave before trying it out. The fast moving water and rocky bottom make the wave tricky and dangerous to surf. It would be easy to get wedged underwater against a rock and drown.

"One time my board purled and got caught against the rocks. I had to dive into the water and pull as hard as I could before it freed itself."

After studying the wave, Joe grabbed his board and became the first person ever to surf the Red Cedar River. People had kayaked and even body boarded the standing wave before, but never had anyone attempted to surf it.

Joe Matulis and Remi Hamel wake surfing

When the wind is dead and the rainy season is over surf a boat wake. As long as the lake isn't frozen, a boat wake can make for a fun workable ride. 

Keep checking the local surf because the season is coming up fast and if you see the Matuli paddling out you know you came to the right spot. 

Great White off North Beach

During a whale watching trip out of Dana Point Harbor, the group got something a little extra. A mile off the coast at North Beach in San Clemente a 12-foot great white shark came up to the boat.
 

Lifeguard Taplin Relay (Preview)

City of San Clemente 2010 Taplin Relay Team

The 2011 Lifeguard Taplin Relay is coming up on Saturday July 30, at the Hermosa Beach Pier. The event begins at 7 p.m. with a U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter and Los Angeles County Lifeguard Demo and lifeguard competitions followed by the Judge Taplin Three-mile Lifeguard Medley Relay.

Last summer the City of San Clemente team raced in the Taplin relay for the first time in years. Although we didn't finish first, we finished with pride. Excited with out first completed Taplin under our belt, we are now ready to come back strong and give the other teams a run for their money.  This isn't our first rodeo anymore.

The Lifeguard Taplin relay is the most prestigious lifeguard event in Southern California. Named after Judge Irving Taplin, a former Municipal Court Judge in L.A. County, the Taplin relay was started in 1936. It has run every year since with the exception of 1942 to 1945 when the race was suspended due to World War II.

Judge Irving Taplin
Medley Relay Throphy Bell

Competing for a chance at taking home the Taplin Bell, teams from around the world show up in numbers with team caps, paddle boards, and dory boats. The bell is past down from year-to-year to the winners of the race. Each team is made of 16 ocean lifeguards; four swimmers, four paddlers, and four 2-man dory teams in an effort to have the best over all time. All 16 names of the winning team are engraved onto the bell to remind everyone of their win.

Come to the Hermosa Beach Pier at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 30 to watch the most competitive race in Southern California, and see who will be taking home the bell. Make sure to come early, the stadium seating fills up fast.


Untitled from MatuliSurfboards on Vimeo.

Teddy Goes Big In SC

Teddy Goes Big In SC from MatuliSurfboards on Vimeo.

S.C. King and Queen of the Beach Race Series

Lifeguard4Life will be holding its second beach race held in San Clemente.

The next race, 5k beach run, starts this Wednesday, July, 6th, 2011 at 7p.m. starting at City lifeguard tower 3 (just south of the San Clemente Pier)

This is the first race in the Wednesday night series. Other races will involve water elements. Think Ocean Festival events.

The event is free and open to anyone with a little competitive spirit.

Update: San Clemente Dory Boat Destroyed

On June 14^th the San Clemente City Surf Lifesavings Association’s dory boat was found destroyed. With out delay, the National Doryman's Association donated a used boat in need of some work. Some City lifeguards have been spending their off duty time working to get the new boat in ship shape.

Rescue

Rescue at tower one Saturday

Photos from Inside the Barrel

More Waves at the Pier This Weekend

Tube ride with Teddy at the San Clemente pier Saturday Afternoon

906

Nick Hagen starts summer 2011 off making rescues at tower 3 on Saturday

Surfing San Clemente June 25

Morning Tube Ride

Tube ride with Jeff Marder at the San Clemente pier this morning. 

San Clemente Sand Replenishment Program

Here are a few videos of what the San Clemente Sand Replenishment program could look like with the dredged sand being pumped onto our beaches.

S.C. King and Queen of the Beach Race Series

To kick off the summer, Lifeguard4Life will be holding the first weekly beach race held in San Clemente.

The first race, 5k beach run, starts this Wednesday, June, 29, 2011 at 7p.m. starting at City lifeguard tower 3 (just south of the San Clemente Pier)

This is the first race in the Wednesday night series. Other races will involve water elements. Think Ocean Festival events.

The event is free and open to anyone with a little competitive spirit. Future races will have prizes to the winners of the event. 

Chasing Sea Snakes

A clip Jeff Marder shot in Fiji using the flat lense housing and the expandable mono pod provided by Eye of Mine with his GoPro HD Camera

San Clemente Waves

Photos from Jeff Marder of waves in San Clemente

Crumblin' Down at the SC Pier

San Clemente Dory Boat Destroyed

San Clemente Lifeguard dory boat found destroyed
in the surf early Tuesday morning.

The morning of Tuesday, June 14 should of started off with a morning workout for the lifeguards of San Clemente Marine Safety in their competition dory boat. Instead it started with hauling the boat out of the water piece by piece.

The dory boat has been a part of San Clemente for 30 years. It has brought the San Clemente Lifeguard Competition team to victory multiple times in the annual Ocean Festival and the Great Catalina Dory Race.

The team was just about to start the new race season when it was cut short by beach vandals.

Sometime during the night, someone pushed the boat from the lifeguard parking lot into the water. The waves and the high tide tore the fiberglass boat into pieces. Lifeguards arrived to find the pieces washed up on the shore.

Reported by Fred Swegles with the Orange County Register "It would cost thousands of dollars to have a new boat built, lifeguards said. A used one might be considerably cheaper. "It might not be the fastest boat out there, but at least it's a boat," lifeguard Ryan Buckley said."
Click here for full story and Slideshow

Lifeguards are now working towards finding a new boat before the race season starts. Every bit of support is appreciated and anyone that knows anything about the vandals that pushed the lifeguard boat into the water is encouraged to call San Clemente Marine Safety at (949) 361-8219

Scooter Adventures

Allan Bayer and David McErlean
ready for a day of scootering around OC
Photo by David McErlean

How many miles can you go for less than $5 in gas?

If your in a car that probably means that you can't go much further than the gas station to your house. With a Yamaha Vino 125, the places are limitless.

Ok maybe not limitless. You can't go anywhere that requires a freeway but scooters can go anywhere else.


With 96 miles per gallon, the Vino is the perfect summer transporter for anyone staying close to home or traveling alone.

With this unstable economy, the price of gas is changing faster than Lady Gaga's costumes so every gallon counts. With the Scooter you don't have to worry because you don't need much fuel to fulfill your transportation needs.

After a 70 mile ride around Orange County, Allan Bayer of San Clemente only had to buy .7 gallons of gas to top off his tank. Take that Prius!

Bayer first became the proud owner of a Vino in 2008. He paid a thousand dollars for his 49cc bike. This machine tops out at 45 miles an hour.

He has since upgraded to the Vino 125. The Vino 125 is faster, quieter and gets better gas milage.

An econ major from Santa Barbara, Bayer loves the cost effectiveness and the convenience of being able to park anywhere when he rides his scooter.

"Buying a scooter is the best decision I have ever made in my life," said Bayer.

Next time you are at the gas station having to swipe your card twice because your Chevy Tahoe takes more than the $75 limit to fill the tank, think about getting a scooter.

How to Spot a Drowning

Lifeguard rescues a girl from a rip current
Photo by David McErlean

This is a story from the National Sea Rescue Institute on what a person looks like when they are drowning. It is written by a former Coast Guard rescue swimmer in the Coast Guard's On Scene Magazine.

"The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the couple swimming between their anchored sport fisher and the beach. "I think he thinks you're drowning," the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other and she had screamed but now they were just standing, next-deep on the sand bar. "We're fine, what is he doing?" she asked, a little annoyed. "We're fine!" the husband yelled, waving him off, but his captain kept swimming hard. "Move!" he barked as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not four meters away, their nine-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears, "Daddy!"

How did this captain know - from 20 meters away - what the father couldn't recognize from just four? Drowning is not the violent, splashing, call for help that most people expect. The captain was trained to recognize drowning by experts and years of experience. The father, on the other hand, had learned what drowning looks like by watching television. If you spend time on or near the water (hind: that's all of us) then you should make sure that you and your crew knows what to look for whenever people enter the water. Until she cried a tearful, "Daddy," she hadn't made a sound. As a former Coast Guard rescue swimmer, I wasn't surprised at all by this story. Drowning is almost always a deceptively quiet event. The waving, splashing and yelling that dramatic conditioning (television) prepares us to look for, is rarely seen in real life.
Click Here to read more of the story

Matuli Wave Storm, Episode 6, The Doyle

Lifeguard 4 Life Comic

Written by Thomas Dollar

Click on comic to enlarge

Random Wind Swell

Unexpected Wind Swell from David McErlean on Vimeo.

Lifesaving for Surfers

Third Coast Ocean Force practice rescue techniques
Photo by Cindy Matulis

Many surfers in the Great Lakes are unsung heroes who have saved many lives because they have spotted swimmers in trouble while catching waves. Surfers have a strong knowledge of the dangers the water presents, and they are often in a good position to spot and make a rescue.

Surf Lifesaving has deep roots in the Midwest. Tom Blake was a pioneer waterman from Wisconsin, and has been the lead designer for surfing and lifeguard gear. Blake invented the surfboard fin, hollow paddle board and the lifeguard buoy. Following in the tradition of connecting surfing to lifesaving, a group of Great Lake surfers have formed an organization called the Third Coast Ocean Force designed to educate the public on the dangers of water currents generated from waves.

Eight year Ocean lifeguard Joe Matulis was one of the speakers at the Third Coast Ocean Force Rip Currents conference and workshop held in St. Joseph, Michigan on June 5, 2011. Matulis was asked to share his professional knowledge about spotting potential rescues.

"If you are seeing someone climbing the ladder, you are already too late," Matulis said. "You are not going to have enough time to get out there."

There are many earlier signs that can be seen from shore or from the water.

"When I am at the beach I look for swimmers that are not in swim attire, swimmers facing the beach and swimmers that are in large groups." he said.

Classroom discussion by Third Coast Ocean Force
Photo by Cindy Matulis

There are many differences between the Pacific Ocean and Lake Michigan. The beach goers in the Midwest usually don't experience surf because waves are uncommon in the crowded season. However, a few times every summer, wind generates waves and rip currents are formed on the crowded Midwest beaches. When these unusually large waves occur, the majority of the beach goers are not aware of the dangers that are created. Today, very few Great Lakes beaches have lifeguards on duty. Great Lakes surfers, however, can make a difference for victims of rip currents. Surfers have the ability to navigate through surf and when there are waves in the lakes there are plenty of surfers. It only makes sense that surfers need to be trained to identify possible drowning victims.

Bob Pratt, a former lifeguard and a Great Lakes surfer explained how rip currents can flow out along the concrete piers in Lake Michigan. Compounding the problem of rip currents in the Great Lakes is the fact that these currents are more difficult to spot in the Great Lakes than the ocean. The reason rips are harder to see in the Great Lakes is because rip currents only form when there is surf. The surf is normally only big when the weather is stormy and cloudy. Stormy weather makes it harder to see the differences of water color because of the overcast skies.

The waves in the lakes also have a much shorter interval period and therefore there are twice as many waves that swimmers have to contend with. The waves on the Great Lakes may break every seven seconds compared to a south swell in Southern California that would have about a twenty second wave interval.

After the classroom training session the class went to the beach to practice rescue techniques. In addition to Great Lakes surfers, area water rescue teams also attended the training session to learn about using a surfboard to assist a drowning victim. The class practiced these techniques and discussed how to triangulate a submerged swimmer, how to handle a possible spinal cord injury victim and where to enter the water in different possible swell situations.

This is an important step forward for protecting swimmers in the Great Lakes.


Backboarding from MatuliSurfboards on Vimeo.

Lifeguard Drowns in South Africa

In Durban South Africa a lifeguard drowned at Margate Beach on Saturday morning, the National Sea Rescue Institute said.

Shelly Beach station commander Mark Harlen said that the 20 year old lifeguard was reported missing at 10:20. members of the NSRI, police and lifeguard from the area actively searched the area for the missing lifeguard.

The man's body was later spotted by a police helicopter and recovered from the surf by the NSRI's rescue boat.

There is an open investigation by police on the death of the lifeguard but no foul play is suspected, said Harlen.

National Rip Current Week

Joe Matulis surfing Lake Michigan

This next week, June 5 to 11,2011, is the National Weather Service's national rip current week. 


Rip currents are not just found in the ocean. Any time there are waves, there are rip currents. Even in Lake Michigan the wind waves create strong rip currents that trap unexpected beach goers are not prepared for. Last year 74 people drown in Lake Michigan because they were not able to get to shore after being pulled out by a rip current. 


To stop this from happening, the Matuli crew is going to be educating the public on victim diction and surf rescue techniques in St. Joseph, Michigan this Sunday, June 5, 2011. The event is hosted by The Great Lakes Third Coast Ocean Force Community Project with it's first class teaching "Surfboard Rescue Techniques." 


The class will start at 10 a.m. at the Boulevard Inn's in the Parks View West room, located at 521 Lake Boulevard, St. Joseph, MI 49085.


For more information join us on Facebook. 

Ocean Festival benefit Dinner

Nicolas Giugni with the Ocean Fest Mermaid
during Ocean Fest 2010
Photo by Joe Matulis

Tickets for the annual San Clemente Ocean Festival benefit dinner at Fisherman's restaurant are being sold tomorrow, Saturday June 4 for $55.

The dinner is a fund raiser for the San Clemente Ocean Festival, a festival to support ocean safety by holding ocean races, sand castle building contests, lifeguard demonstrations and much more.

The dinner offers barbecue chicken and ribs at the Fisherman's on July 4, which is closed to the normal public.

Get your tickets early because the event sells out every year. You can get your tickets by going to the Fisherman's located on the San Clemente pier from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, June 4.

Surfing Trestles

(Update) Boat Stranded at Strands Point

Boat on Stands Point after May 29 Accident
Photo by David McErlean

On the evening of Sunday, May 29, a boat with four people on board was moving to close to shore when it was over taken by waves and brought into Strands Point in Dana Point, leaving the boat stranded on the beach and one man dead.

An OC Lifeguard responded from Salt Creek Beach, the adjacent beach to the north, after seeing the boat come ashore. Because of the high tide and storm conditions, the lifeguard had to respond from Pacific Coast Highway through a beach access road inside a newly developed private community. Three more lifeguard unites responded to the scene after hearing the radio call of the first responder, Jason Young, a spokesman for OC Lifeguards said.

A man and two woman exited the boat without harm but one man, Mark Benet, 46, was missing. A man suspected to be Benet was seen in the water behind the boat by witnesses overlooking the scene but it is not known whether he jumped or fell out of the boat as it came ashore, Young said.

The first responding lifeguard from OC Lifeguards entered the water to search for Benet but returned to shore after receiving injuries from the strong surf pushing him into the rock cliffs. The injuries were minor and treated after the search was completed.

The weather conditions were hazardous with gal force winds reaching 30 knots and consistent surf of three to five feet. The stormy conditions brought waves every three to five seconds and a strong current that pushed south into the cliffs of Killer Dana.

OC Lifeguards continued the search with the help of Orange County Fire, Laguna Beach Lifeguards and State Lifeguards. It was decided that searching from a high advantage point on shore was more effective than in the water because of the dangerous water conditions so lifeguards were called out of the water until the man was located. Coast Guard was there on stand by but were not used in the search, Young said.

An hour into the search Benet was found floating off Killer Dana by a rescue team formed by two Laguna Beach Lifeguards and three OC Lifeguards. The victim was pulled into a cave on shore by the lifeguards where he was then hoisted into an Orange County Fire helicopter and air lifted to the hospital.

Benet was pronounced dead at 8:23 p.m. on Sunday, May 29 at Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach.

The boat was on Stands Beach for two days until Vessel Assist was able to remove it off the beach Wednesday, June 1. The 30 foot Bayliner was towed to Dana Point Harbor for further investigation of the accident.

First Responders Watch Man Drown

In Alameda, California, a man who was apparently suicidal drowned while police and firefighters watched close by. The man walked into a bay until he was in neck-deep water and began to tread water. He eventually tired to the point that he could no longer stay above water and drowned.

Firefighters were not allowed to enter the water to help the man for a few reasons.

CNN reports "Two things prevented authorities from taking action, said Alameda Interim Fire Chief Michael D'Orazi said. First, because it was a crime scene, the police department was in charge.
'They felt that going into the water initially might not be the best idea because they were unsure if this individual was armed, the stability of the individual,' D'Orazi said.
Also, 'there was a policy in place that pretty much precluded out people from entering the water.'"
Click Here to read full story

Lifeguards deal with suicidal people often. People jump in front of trains, off piers, drink themselves to death or just walk into the water and hold themselves under water. Lifeguards are not to risk their own life while attempting to rescue a suicidal victim from train tracks, but we are trained in how to stay far enough away from a victim that we are not in danger. With a floatation device like a lifeguard buoy, lifeguards are able to stay above water while fighting to get the unwilling victim to shore.

Barrels at San Clemente Pier

Surfing San Clemente Pier June 1, 2011 from David McErlean on Vimeo.

2011 Matuli Girl of the Summer!

Enter to become this years Matuli Girl of the Summer! 


The contest for this years Matuli Girl of the Summer is now open! Remember that Matuli is about siezing every day and living life to the fullest. We are looking for active girls that have a lot of energy. Doubles and groups are accepted.  



Enter to win by submitting an application with:

1. Name
2. Age
3. Home Town
4. Hobbies
5. What makes you unique
6. Why you should be Girl of the Summer
7. Include a photo of yourself

Click Here to Submit Application

Top 5 girls are voted on by readers to find

The 2011 Matuli Girl of the Summer!

Voting starts July 1st and ends August 1st

Click to See last years winners

All applicants must be 18 years old or older

Boat stranded at Strands Point

30 ft. Bayliner sits on Strands Point
after crash landing on Sunday evening
Photo by David McErlean

If you have been down to Strands Point in Dana Point in the last two day you are probably asking why there is a 30 foot boat sitting on the beach.

On Sunday, May 29, just before sunset, a 30 foot Bayliner, with four people on board, beached themselves on Strands Point after having engine trouble. While coming ashore one of the people on board fell overboard.

The surf conditions were hazardous with high surf advisories up and down the coast. With a strong current pushing south, the people were swept into an area known as Killer Dana. Killer Dana is a rocky point with underwater caves that are dangerous even in the calmest of conditions.

Boat on Strands Point with a cooler full of Beer
Photo by David McErlean

Reported by Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register, "Lifeguards from U.S. Ocean Safety [Now OC Lifeguards] and Laguna Beach located Mark Benet, a 46 year old from Orange, at a rock outcropping adjacent to the beach, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Greg Mckeown said.

An OCFA helicopter lowered a firefighter on a cable who was able to pull the man into a rescue basket. The basket was pulled up to OCFA paramedics in the helicopter where he was treated. He was flown to the Laguna Beach hospital."
Click here for full story

View from above Strands Point with boat
sitting on the beach
Photo by David McErlean

The boat now sits on Strands Point waiting to be taken away. After several attempts by Vessel Assist, the 30 foot Bayliner is still in the same place. Vessel Assist attempted to tow the boat back out to sea and back to the harbor to get it off the beach. Vessel Assist will be attempting to pull the boat off the beach again the night of Wednesday, June 1.

Matuli Wave Storm: Episode 4, Almost Frozen

Making your own Marine Ecosphere

Ikelite Underwater Video Housing

I ordered a used Ikelite Underwater Housing for a video camera but it doesn't fit any of my cameras. Instead of reselling it or throwing it away, I decided to make something out of it. The underwater video housing is now becoming an ecosphere; a self contained miniature world.

Things you need to make an Ecosphere

A jar

Sand or gravel

Water, ocean salt and dechlorinater

A small ocean live rock

Supplies for Ecosphere

Coral or other marine plant

1 peppermint or red-tail shrimp

5 small marine hermit crabs

2 turbo snails

20 to 100 plankton cells

1 to 4 sea shells

Step One: Get a jar that will seal closed, like a canning or peanut butter jar. You should choose something unique to yourself but make sure it's transparent so sunlight can pass through it. I am using my underwater housing.

Live rocks inside Ecosphere

Step Two: Wash out your jar with warm water. Don't use soap because it will kill the society growing in your world. Use a towel and dry off the jar.


Step Three: Collect sand from either the playground, or buy it. Don't take sand from the beach because it's illegal. Wash off the sand with hot water and drain the water out and let it dry. Be careful not to lose sand while draining it. Put the sand in your jar so there is about an inch across the "ocean floor." 


Step Four: Add ocean water. You make the water by mixing dechlorinated water & ocean salt. Don't use table salt because it is too poisonous for your little world. Best is to use real ocean water if it is available. Fill the jar, leaving about 2 inches of air at the top. Before moving on to the next step test the pH levels of the water. The animals will die without the right pH level. 


Step Five: Then add a small live sea rock which should have both phyto & zooplankton. Now add plants. You can either buy coral or grow algae for your plants. 


Step Six: Now add small sea shells. This will stabilize the pH levels and stimulate the ocean floor. It can take a couple of days before the water is ready for step seven.


Step Seven: Now the fun part; adding the animals. Add a peppermint shrimp, five small marine hermit crabs, two turbo snails and 20 to 100 plankton cells.


Step Eight: Now with the members of your new society in place, seal the jar and never open it again. Put it by a window to get light and watch your world evolve over time. 

Matuli Workout: Exercises for Two Girls

Need a workout? Here are some exercises with the Matuli Girls of last summer.

OC Lifeguards making $200k

L.A. County Lifeguard
Photo by David McErlean

Want to make over six figures a year hanging out at the beach? Some Southern California Lifeguards have found a way to do just that.

More than half of Newport Beach full-time lifeguards earn more than $100 thousands and retire with 90 percent of their salary after 30 years of service. Newport Beach lifeguards aren't the only ones bringing in the big bucks.

The Orange County Register reports that Los Angels County and other Orange County cities have similar pay scales for their lifeguards.

"In 2009, at least 55 L.A. County lifeguards earned more than $100,000 in pay, excluding benefits, according to the state Controller's Office web-bases database on public employee pay. Twenty-eight "Ocean Lifeguard Specialists" were paid more than $100,000 in wages alone, as were 25 lifeguard captains. A lifeguard chief was paid $195,035 - again, not counting benefits," reported Brian Calle with the OC Register.

The lifeguard salaries and pensions are to big for some counties to pay out. To beat down the long term cost of beach safety, Orange County has outsourced lifeguards to patrol their beaches. The private lifeguard company US Ocean Safety is a private lifeguard department for hire.

Lifeguard responds on beach goers caught in rip current
Photo by David McErlean

"The county of Orange hires a private company to provide lifeguards at its beaches, including larger locations, such as Salt Creek Beach, Aliso Beach and Capistrano Beach, and smaller beaches, like Table Rock in Laguna Beach. At the very least, outsourcing gets taxpayers off the hook for lifeguard pensions, which even Newport Beach City Manager David Kiff called "unsustainable," Calle reported.
Click to read full story

These high salaries might seem like gross over payment for lifeguards, but think about what lifeguards do. Beach crowds are getting bigger every year with the ratio of ocean people going down. This means that lifeguards have to save more people from drowning every year.

In summer 2010, Lifeguards across the United States watched over 308 million beach goers. Of those they rescued 56 thousand of them. They also talked to 5.5 million people before they got into a situation that needed rescue, according to United States Lifesaving Association Stat Book.

To add to their duty, lifeguards made over 4 thousand boat rescues involving over 10 thousand people, made 325 thousand medical aids, 1 million law enforcement actions and found 12 thousand missing kids.

California Lifeguard rescues girl out of rip current
Photo by David McErlean

Lifeguards helped a total of 8,372,170 people in summer of 2010. With over 8 million people saved, only 25 people died in guarded waters throughout the United States.

So ask yourself, are those 8 million lives worth the extra money?

Welcome GoPro as a new sponsor

Thank you GoPro for being the newest sponsor to Lifeguard 4 Life by Team Matuli. We are really excited to have GoPro as a team sponsor.


GoPro Hero Surfing from David McErlean on Vimeo.

GoPro is the maker of The Hero video camera. The Hero is the "world's best selling wearable video camera for sports." (GoPro.com)

Sand Replenishment

San Clemente Marine Safety with sea wall exposed. The
sand reached the top railing when Marine Safety was built
Photo by David McErlean

San Clemente beaches are going to see new life in the coming season. A plan to bring new sand to the beach has been approved after presenting the Army Corps of Engineers with a 10 year sand study.

Reported by Fred Swegles of The Orange County Register, "Under that plan, the Army Corps would replenish a stretch of San Clemente beach between Linda Lane Beach and a restroom south of T-Street beach with 251,000 cubic yards of San Clemente-compatible beach sand dredged from a site off Oceanside and shipped up the coast by barge. Each import would produce a 50-foot-wide carpet of new sand, adding 2 to 3 feet to the height of the beach. As that sand is depleted, it would be replaced with the next import."

Click here to read full story.

San Clemente with the sand on north
side of pier almost gone.
Photo by David McErlean

San Clemente beaches have slowly been eroding away over the years. The city has tried to replenish the sand before using river sand. The sand was washed away after winter storms, leaving mounds of rocks that were hidden beneath the sand. Now the beach is covered in the unnatural cobblestones and still diminishing. Just recently the beach has lost so much sand that City Lifeguards have been forced to change lifeguard operations on the north side of the pier. The beach has lost so much sand that it can no longer support multiple lifeguard towers or lifeguard jeeps.

If you are worried that this replenishment program will have the same result as last time, don't. There are a few differences in this sand program. Number one is where the sand is coming from. Before the sand was dredged from a river bottoom so it didn't have the time to be broken up by the surf on its way down the coast like our natural sand. The new sand is being brought from Oceanside. The sand has been in the ocean and had time to be broken up so there shouldn't be any surprises under it in the shape of boulders. The second is the amount of sand. The sand from the last replenishment moved down the coast and was gone after a few years. The sand from this program will do the same, but instead of hoping for it to naturally return there will be another shipment on the way to rebuild the beach. 

Sea Wall at Marine Safety full exposed.
Photo by David McErlean

With the replenishment of new sand, the beach will hopefully be back to what it used to be like. There is always a chance that the project might fail, but what choice do we have. The beach is San Clemente's livelihood and it has to be protected. 

Go Green Go White

Go Green Go White from MatuliSurfboards on Vimeo.

California State Park Closure for 2012

Closed lifeguard tower at California State Beach
Photo by David McErlean

If you are looking at touring California next year, you might want to start that trip earlier than planned.

California State Parks announced Friday that 70 of it's 278 parks are planned to be closed after the 2011 summer season. The park closure is a result of budget cuts proposed for the next year. Closing the parks would help reduce the state budget by $11 million this year and $22 million the next year. The budget cuts were passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. in March.

“We regret closing any park,” said Ruth Coleman, director of California State Parks, “but with the proposed budget reductions over the next two years, we can no longer afford to operate all parks within the system.” 

“These cuts are unfortunate, but the state’s current budget crisis demands that tough decisions be made,” said Resources Secretary John Laird. “Hopefully, Republicans in the legislature will agree to allow California voters to decide whether we extend currently existing taxes or make deeper cuts to our parks.” 

The State Parks had three main goals when forming the method to close down the parks. The goals are to protest the most significant natural and cultural resources, maintain access to the parks for the public for as long as possible and to protest the closed parks, making sure that they are still attractive and usable in the future.  

Here is the complete list of all 70 parks that will close after the summer.

Anderson Marsh SHP 

Annadel SP 

Antelope Valley Indian Museum 

Austin Creek SRA 

Bale Grist Mill SHP 

Benbow Lake SRA 

Benicia Capitol SHP 

Benicia SRA 

Bidwell Mansion SHP 

Bothe-Napa Valley SP 

Brannan Island SRA 

California Mining & Mineral Museum 

Candlestick Point SRA 

Castle Crags SP 

Castle Rock SP 

China Camp SP 

Colusa-Sacramento River SRA 

Del Norte Coast Redwoods SP 

Fort Humboldt SHP 

Fort Tejon SHP 

Garrapata SP 

George J. Hatfield SRA 

Governor's Mansion SHP 

Gray Whale Cove SB 

Greenwood SB 

Grizzly Creek Redwoods SP 

Hendy Woods SP 

Henry W. Coe SP 

Jack London SHP 

Jug Handle SNR 

Leland Stanford Mansion SHP 

Limekiln SP 

Los Encinos SHP 

Malakoff Diggins SHP 

Manchester SP 

McConnell SRA 

McGrath SB 

Mono Lake Tufa SNR 

Morro Strand SB 

Moss Landing SB 

Olompali SHP 

Palomar Mountain SP 

Petaluma Adobe SHP 

Picacho SRA 

Pio Pico SHP 

Plumas-Eureka SP 

Point Cabrillo Light Station 

Portola Redwoods SP 

Providence Mountains SRA 

Railtown 1897 SHP 

Russian Gulch SP 

Saddleback Butte SP 

Salton Sea SRA 

Samuel P. Taylor SP 

San Pasqual Battlefield SHP 

Santa Cruz Mission SHP 

Santa Susana Pass SHP 

Shasta SHP 

South Yuba River SP 

Standish-Hickey SRA 

Sugarloaf Ridge SP 

Tomales Bay SP 

Tule Elk SNR 

Turlock Lake SRA 

Twin Lakes SB 

Weaverville Joss House SHP 

Westport-Union Landing SB 

William B. Ide Adobe SHP 

Woodson Bridge SRA 

Zmudowski SB