Crowds Stay Clear From ‘Iffy’ Beaches : Health: Bacteria levels were reported down to safe levels at Venice after a one-day closure. But few people dared to go into the water.

It is not that Aaron Grossman does not care about his health when he braves the oft-contaminated waters near Venice.

“But the waves were good; I had to go out,” said the 19-year-old surfer who ventured into the waters near Venice Pier on Sunday, a day after county health inspectors declared that bacterial levels had fallen to acceptable levels and reopened the beach after a one-day closure.

Surfers aside, relatively few people visited Venice for a hot holiday weekend, and fewer went into the water.

Authorities attributed the sparse crowds to poor surf and the brief closure last week.

“That little uproar over the weekend (over high bacteria levels) toned things down for Venice,” said senior lifeguard Kirk Thomas.

Grossman and others said the water was free of the telltale white foam that usually implies that the water has been contaminated.

“It’s cool, clear waters,” the surfer said. “It’s really good.”

Still, others harbor doubts about the clean bill of health the area has received and are staying out of the water.

“I find it difficult to believe that within a day the water can heal itself,” said Nancy Fishelson, who sought out the sand and sun, but would only wade into the water.

“It actually looks clean,” Fishelson said. “But I would imagine that it’s kind of iffy.”

Lifeguards patrolling the area said they have faith in the testing system, one that in the past may have been inadequate but has been revamped to provide better information faster.

“They test, retest and test again, so it’s a pretty good system,” said lifeguard Lt. Mike Frazer, who points to regular dolphin sightings as evidence of cleaner water.

“Dolphins can go anywhere in the world, and they choose to come here,” Frazer said. “That to me is the best sign.”

Although marine life may be convinced of the water’s cleanliness, many humans remain skeptical.

“Just because they say it’s OK with their bacteria count, there’s a fine line between acceptable and unacceptable to them, and that may not be acceptable to me,” said Judy Walsh, who lives a block from the beach in Playa del Rey, but will not go in the water.

“If you’re coming with a family and kids and you want to go into the water,” she said, “you go somewhere else.”

One mother took her kids to the beach despite what she believed was less-than-immaculate water.

“We’ll just go home and take double showers and double soap,” said Brenda Morales as she supervised her two children at Playa del Rey. “We’ll gargle if possible.

“There are so many toxins in the air that we breathe every day and in our foods already,” said Morales, of Panorama City. “We’re drinking the water and we’re injecting things into animals which provide our food, and putting fertilizers and poisons on our vegetables.”

Farther south along the coast, the Dockweiler State Beach was so sparsely attended that several flocks of sea gulls sat near the water, taking in the sun unmolested.

“Nobody’s here. I don’t know what to tell you,” said lifeguard Mark McCracken.

Despite the light crowds, the beaches will remain fully staffed through the holiday weekend, lifeguards said.