Officials offer summer safety tips

You’ve heard it a million times: Don’t dive headfirst into the water, shuffle your feet so you don’t get stung by a stingray and watch young children at the pool.

But in Newport-Mesa, where there are hundreds of pools and miles of open coastline, public safety officials remind everyone that when it comes to water safety, it’s wise to heed the advice.

The most common danger at the beach is the rip current, which can be strong ? and unexpected. Depending on wave conditions, rip currents form around piers and rock jetties. The currents can pull swimmers out to deeper water, and it can be difficult to get back to shore, lifeguards said.

“The majority of rescues that we make every summer is rip current-related, without a doubt,” Newport Beach Lifeguard Officer John Moore said.

Last Labor Day weekend, a 46-year-old Anaheim man drowned in a rip current near the 28th Street jetty, despite relatively calm surf all day.

Although they can sometimes be disguised, rip currents can be recognized by a patch of swirling brown water. If the rip current can’t be avoided and you’re caught in a rip, swim parallel to the shore to get out of the current, lifeguards said.

Take a ride on the Newport Beach Lifeguard boat on a weekend day and it’s easy to see there’s no such thing as an uneventful day guarding Newport’s beaches.

Aboard the 29-foot lifeguard boat with Lifeguard Capt. Brent Jacobsen at the helm, lifeguard Skeeter Leeper made almost 20 rescues on a recent Sunday afternoon. When a tower guard radioed for help on a rescue, the boat zoomed in on the location and Leeper pulled on his fins and stood ready on the back of the boat, lifeguard buoy in hand.

Most of the rescues were young men who got swept out in a rip current and were struggling to get back to shore. Once assisted into the boat, most of the swimmers or body boarders collapsed on the deck and, breathing heavily, offered up a “thanks, man” to the lifeguard who may have saved their life.

The ocean is home to lots of marine life ? some of which can leave an unpleasant memory of a day on the beach.

Last summer’s wave of jellyfish that left many a stinging mark hasn’t resurfaced, but there’s no guarantee they won’t come back. Lifeguards said the remedy for an encounter with a jellyfish is quite simple: Household vinegar will ease the burn, as will a steady stream of hot water for 45 minutes, Moore said.

The same remedy will work for a stingray sting. Although arguably much more painful, the stingrays can be avoided with a simple dance move: the stingray shuffle. On days of low- to no surf, stingrays like to come in closer to shore. Shuffling feet in the sandy bottom can scare them away.

The best advice for beach safety is to swim near a lifeguard, Moore said. When you arrive, make the lifeguard tower your first stop. The lifeguards will be able to tell you the best place for you to swim, said Lifeguard Battalion Chief Jim Turner.

“You may be able to help yourself, help others; you may be able to keep friends and family alive with your knowledge,” Turner said.

The lifeguard towers in Newport Beach will be fully staffed beginning June 24.

Although the salt water can be a dangerous environment, so can swimming pools. A 5-year-old Santa Ana boy drowned in a Newport Coast swimming pool June 3 while attending a birthday party. The boy’s mother was at the pool with him when she saw him lying motionless on the bottom of the pool.

Firefighters said it’s important for kids to be watched at all times when in a pool. Private pools aren’t always staffed by a professional lifeguard, and an adult should be designated to watch the water, fire officials said.