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Lifeguards report surge in rescues as warmer seas draw bigger crowds
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Summary
San Clemente lifeguards reported a sharp jump in beach activity and rescues — 175 rescues in March and nearly 100 in April — prompting concerns about experience levels and pay as the city heads into summer and the junior lifeguard season.
San Clemente lifeguard leadership told the Community Safety & Welfare Committee on April 28 that unusually warm weather and heavy beach use have sharply increased rescues and preventive interventions.
"We had a 175 rescues in March," Rob Moad, lifeguard chief, said, noting that combined rescues for March in prior years did not exceed this single-month total. Moad said preventative actions that keep swimmers safe totaled roughly 3,300 over the same period, and that April rescues are about 98 compared with a 5–10 year average of about 14.
The chief attributed the rise to record air and sea temperatures and predicted heavier weekend crowds ahead of Memorial Day and the summer season. He said the department promoted 18 of 23 recent recruits to ocean lifeguard status and now has 61 lifeguards, including six full-time staffers and more part-time seasonal personnel.
Committee members pressed whether staffing and pay are adequate. "We are the lowest paid out of all those Orange County" agencies for comparable hourly positions, Moad said, warning that low wages reduce experience levels: "It's 2.4 years of experience" on average among tower guards.
Members and staff discussed short- and long-term responses: better recruitment, reviewing hourly classifications, and outreach to local employers and community groups. The committee also noted the lifeguard service’s 95th anniversary and expanded junior lifeguard capacity, which Moad said can accommodate up to 800 youth this summer.
The committee recorded the report for follow-up; no formal action was taken on staffing changes at the meeting.
