Response to ‘A plea to the lifeguards,’ published Oct. 23
By John O’Connell
Resident, Del Mar
I’m sorry to hear that you feel the Del Mar Lifeguards “choose to demonstrate a failure to serve the public’s best interest.”
I have traveled the world’s beaches, bays and reefs and found the services provided by the Del Mar Lifeguards to be unparalleled.
After 40 years in the city of Del Mar, I can assure you that you and your wife and infant are in far more danger getting to the beach than having some rogue wave wiping out a wedding party at 15th Street.
The beach is an exciting environment (which is part of its natural attraction) dynamic, and constantly changing.
If a report is posted at 0900 hours, conditions can and often do change within a matter of hours.
There are a myriad of information sources at your disposal to make your visit to the Del Mar beach safe and enjoyable.
One the lifeguards should be especially proud of is their real-time beach cam available at www.camzone.com/delmar beach. Other Web sites such as surfline.com also provide links to their site.
The Del Mar Lifeguards also offer free tide books at Lifeguard Headquarters with which visitors can keep track of tides.
The San Diego Union-Tribune lists daily tide tables on its weather page and uses Del Mar Lifeguard data for its surf reports (long-winded as it may be).
Finally, being the professional organization that they are, they will answer the phone every single day of the year, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
You can call them at (858) 755-1556 and speak to seasoned professionals to receive up-to-the-minute reports of changing beach conditions.
I have personally witnessed these fine men and women save lives, attend to bleeding, bruised, frightened or just plain lost beachgoers on a regular basis. Any suggestion by you that their priorities are off should be answered by one of the beachgoers whose lives have been touched by these highly trained and motivated people.
Next time you’re at the beach, do as I do and stop by the tower for a long-winded chat with a Del Mar Lifeguard.
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- A tribute to lifeguards
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