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.

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.

More Waves at the Pier This Weekend

Tube ride with Teddy at the San Clemente pier Saturday Afternoon

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

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.

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

Crumblin' Down at the SC Pier

Matuli Wave Storm, Episode 6, The Doyle

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.

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.

Matuli Wave Storm: Episode 4, Almost Frozen

Matuli Workout: Exercises for Two Girls

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

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)

Go Green Go White

Go Green Go White from MatuliSurfboards on Vimeo.

Surfing San Clemente Pier

Surfing San Clemente Pier May 19,2011 from David McErlean on Vimeo.