EDITORIAL

Summer has not officially started yet, and already Newport-Mesa has

had a harsh reminder: The ocean is as dangerous as it is inviting.

Last month, a 12-year-old Santa Ana boy died after he swallowed too

much water when taken under by a wave at Big Corona. Rescuers managed to

pull out the 10-year-old girl he was with and save her. But the boy,

Daniel Quijada, wasn’t breathing by the time they got to him. He died two

days later.

There was no big surf the day Daniel was in the water. There was no

harsh undertow or riptide. There was no particular reason to suspect a

tragedy like that could happen on that beautiful day.

But that is when the water is the most dangerous. If there are 15-foot

waves breaking at The Wedge, bodysurfers will be on high alert as they

swim out into the surf.

But if the waves are lapping at waist level, there doesn’t seem to be

any call for worry.

Daniel’s story proves that all too untrue. There simply is no telling

what the danger might be or where it may lie.

Of course, the open ocean isn’t the only source of trouble. Backyard

pools claim lives -- mostly young, but not always -- every year when the

weather gets hot. The problem is acute in apartment and condominium

complexes where children can get to communal pools without adult

supervision.

Supervision and awareness are the keys to keeping everyone safe.

Parents need to be watchful of their children, both on the beach and by

the pool. And anyone heading into the water should be aware of beach

conditions and swim where lifeguards can see them.

A day at the beach, after all, shouldn’t become anything more than

that.