Book brings a wave of lifeguard history
Huntington Beach’s waters have drawn beachgoers for more than a century, and the job of protecting those bathers from the dangers of the ocean has fallen on the shoulders of the Huntington Beach Lifeguards.
As a career lifeguard and Marine Safety Officer, Kai Weisser had the opportunity to observe the department’s evolution. In the 1990s, something told him he should begin researching the stories and history of Huntington’s lifeguards.
“The little person that lives inside me said I’d be writing about this some day,†Weisser said.
That voice was right. Weisser’s history of the department, “Huntington Beach Lifeguards,†is now published by Arcadia Publishing, which specializes in printing local history volumes.
The book is filled with characters who have shaped Huntington Beach’s past. George Reynolds was the area’s first official lifeguard.
He also wore the hats of police officer, concession stand manager and even the local band leader.
Reynolds was from a time when most rescues were conducted by dory, a flat-bottomed boat.
“In those days you didn’t necessarily have to be a good swimmer to be a lifeguard,†Weisser said.
Weisser’s book hits on a number of milestones for not only the lifeguards but the city too. There’s a chapter on the Junior Lifeguards, a program Weisser found dates back to the ’30s. It talks about the 1986 OP Pro Riots and the storms that crumbled two piers.
One of the big eras in the department’s history was the proliferation of surfing among increased beach regulation.
“The surfers had free reign, they could surf 24/7. In the mid-’60s when the blackball flag was invented it was kind of a free spirit, ’60s revolution feeling ... There was instant conflict.â€
Weisser said the biggest change lifeguards have seen is the sheer volume of visitors to the beach each year coupled with how many events are now on the beach.
“The masses of people and the variety of events on the beach, it’s really mind boggling,†Weisser said.
BOOK SIGNINGS
BELLA TERRA
 WHERE: Barnes & Noble, 7881 Edinger Ave.
 WHEN: 1 to 3 p.m., Saturday May 10.
 
MAIN STREET
 WHERE: Sugar Shack, 213 Main St.
 WHEN: 10 a.m. to noon, May 21.
 
“Huntington Beach Lifeguards†is available at www.amazon.com.
JOSH ADEN may be reached at (714) 966-4609 or at [email protected].
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