N.Z. fortunate, says lifeguard

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33750, 24 January 1975, Page 17

N.Z. fortunate, says lifeguard

New Zealanders did not realise how fortunate they were in having volunteer surf patrols, said Bill Owen, a professional lifeguard from San Diego, California.

Mr Owen was brought to New Zealand two weeks ago by the Auckland Surf Lifesaving Association for a training school covering all aspects of surf patrols. He was on a short visit to the South Island.

At San Diego Mr Owen is employed full time as a lifeguard, and his organisation, the San Diego City Lifeguard Service, is on call 24 hours a day throughout the year. During the summer months it was not uncommon to have between 60,000 and 70,000 people on the beach on one day, and last year 3500 people were rescued on San Diego beaches. There were only six drownings, however, in its patrolled areas, and of these

[three were from heart attacks, two were epileptics, and the other was a boating accident. There were 30 drownings outside the patrolled areas.

In addition to being lifeguards, the men, and the few women in the service, had to act as police. They had power to arrest and they had to “throw a few in the pokey,” said Mr Owen. “As you can imagine we | get all types of offences on [the beach from rape and child molesting to petty lariceny”, he said. An unsavoury part of the patrolmen’s job was to pull suicide and murder victims, often badly decomposed, from the water, said Mr Owen.

Part of the San Diego beach is set aside for nude bathing, and this created problems also, said Mr Owen.

The area is surrounded by a 300 ft cliff. “You get people on top of the cliff 'looking down at the bathers, [but some of them get too close to the edge. We are [kept busy picking up those 'who fall over the cliff, and [pulling bathers from the I surf,” he said.

[ Most of the patrolling at [the nude beach was done by females. “They are less distracted than the men”.

In San Diego, the taxpayers contribute slm for i the cost of the lifeguard pat- ' rols. This includes paying ! 106 patrolmen during the summer, and 24 who are retained during the winter. During the summer, crews work through the night, sifting the beach clean of litter left after each day. “In the morning you have a beautiful clean beach, but by night it is a mess again” said Mr Owen. “New Zealand beaches are so clean. Keep them that way”. ' Although there are surf [rescue craft in the United ; States, they are not jet pro-

pelled. “The boats have twin ; screws and are capable of ’ about 35 knots, but unlike ! jet craft are unable to come I inside the surf line,” said Mr I Owen. Of the 3500 rescued at ’ San Diego last year, about I 900 were rescued by boat. [ The jet-boat was much i more efficient than the . American craft, said Mr i [Owen, and cost only a quarter as much. ' The New Zealand jet craft i cost $BOOO, and the Ameri- : [can boats cost $35,000. Mr Owen took 200 ft of i 16mm film of the Christchurch rescue craft I which he will show to thei<

San Diego city authorities when he returns, in the hope he will convince them to ‘ buy one or more of the New| Zealand craft. A surf rescue board used widely on New Zealand beaches was invented by Mr Owen. He has been a lifeguard for 10 years, after passing rigorous examinations. He had to serve a year on probation, during which he underwent physical and mental examinations. If the lifeguard lasts the probationary year it takes another five years of examinations before he becomes fully [qualified.