On June 14th 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.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
More Waves at the Pier This Weekend
Tube ride with Teddy at the San Clemente pier Saturday Afternoon
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
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.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
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)
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
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
San Clemente Dory Boat Destroyed
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| San Clemente Lifeguard dory boat found destroyed in the surf early Tuesday morning. |
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
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| Allan Bayer and David McErlean ready for a day of scootering around OC Photo by David McErlean |
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.
Monday, June 13, 2011
How to Spot a Drowning
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| Lifeguard rescues a girl from a rip current Photo by David McErlean |
"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
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Lifesaving for Surfers
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| Third Coast Ocean Force practice rescue techniques Photo by Cindy Matulis |
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.
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| Classroom discussion by Third Coast Ocean Force Photo by Cindy Matulis |
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.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
National Rip Current Week
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| Joe Matulis surfing Lake Michigan |
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.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Ocean Festival benefit Dinner
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| Nicolas Giugni with the Ocean Fest Mermaid during Ocean Fest 2010 Photo by Joe Matulis |
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.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
(Update) Boat Stranded at Strands Point
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| Boat on Stands Point after May 29 Accident Photo by David McErlean |
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.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
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.
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.
2011 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
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
All applicants must be 18 years old or older
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