Charlie either knew you or you didn’t get hired.

Norm Anderson

By Dale Ghere

2004

Norm started guarding in Laguna in 1948. He had not planned on being a beach lifeguard that summer. He had a good job digging ditches in the canyon. Everything was going well for him until a union boss showed up on the work site one day and asked him why he wasn’t paying union dues. When he found that he would have to pay $50 a month in union fees he just step out of the ditch and started walking towards the ocean. When he arrived at the beach he saw Charlie Plummer and told him that he had just lost his job. Charlie then asked him if he would like to be a lifeguard for the rest of the summer. He could start immediately because they needed another guard.

There was no test to pass. Charlie either knew you or you didn’t get hired. Plummer was looking for locals to hire who knew how to handle big surf and was aware of the specific dangers inherent to each beach. He hired local guys that were known to be surfers or body surfers who were unafraid of big surf, good divers and people who were trustworthy. Plummer was a good waterman himself so he knew what to look for when he hired a new guard.

Surfing Doho, Dana and Sano were the favorite spots for most of the guards. They would go surfing and then stop at Dana Point or some other favorite dive spot to collect abs before returning to Laguna. They would then clean the abs and have a beach party in the evening. In the years between 1948 – 1950 while Norm was guarding, Abs were easy to find. The modern technology of WWII had not reached the general public yet so few peopled were good divers. There were no wetsuits or SCUBA equipment available at every sporting-good store in those days. A faceplate and an ab iron made out of an old leafspring was all that was needed to make a well-equipped diver. It was not uncommon to bring home twenty or thirty abs. Those were the days before the commercial divers striped the local waters of the large beds of abalone. All of the guards were good divers and collected abs, lobster and scallops on a regular basis. Spear fishing was nothing unusual. All beach parties were supplied with abundant amounts of food from the ocean.

Not so many years ago Norm was fly-fishing on the Kings River when he saw a woman floating down stream. She was trying to swim, but her head was under water more than it was up. It was evident from the start that she was in dire trouble. Norm threw his fishing gear on the bank and dove into the icy water to save her. The river was carrying her swiftly down stream. Before he could reach her she washed into another fisherman standing in the river. He managed to get her safely to shore before Norm could catch up and make the rescue. Norm was disappointed that he was too slow to be able to make a quick and dramatic rescue, we all slow down with time, but he was happy that he still had the spirit.

Today Norm lives in Three Arch Bay. He is 77 years old and still has many fond memories of spending days on the beach in Laguna as a lifeguard. For him lifeguarding influenced the development of many life-long friendships and led him to attend USC where he roomed with Hevs and several other Laguna guards.

He still remembers the day when he had to pull Miss America out of the water. Not once, but twice in the same day.

He also remembers a time when he was going home in South Laguna and Hevs came roaring up and yelled, “Jump in, there is a big rescue at 3rd Street” in South Laguna. They drove to the edge of the cliff to look for the victim. Once he was spotted Hevs decided to jump off of a 60-foot cliff rather than to take the time to run around to the stairs to gain access to the beach. The surf was huge and the water was shallow so he had to time the jump well to keep from being injured. Just as Hevs jumped a very large wave caught the victim and rolled him into the surf line. All was well in the end.

When guards went to their beaches during the 40’s they were expected to pick up all of the trash and rake up all of the kelp. The guards dove, surfed, fished and had parties together throughout the summer. As he would say, “Those were the best of days.”

Outstanding People Who Helped Shape My Life.

Mike Contino

Guarded 1969-84

Written in 2004

There are many things which appear small at the time that can have a large impact on you and your future. Only looking back can one appreciate the events that led to turning points in our life. Most people are lucky enough to have one or two persons who dramatically affect their lives; I consider myself one of the few who had the benefit of many outstanding people who helped shape my life.

Growing up we would spend our summers at Crescent Bay. My five brothers and sisters would spend almost every daylight moment and most nights at the beach. This was our place and an extension of our house. We lived in a simpler time when parents never thought twice about kids on the beach 12-14 hours a day.

I never had fear of the water and this would eventually lead me to getting pounded into the bottom of the bay until I was rescued by one of the lifeguards. Pee Wee Jensen would get mad at me and make me sit under his lifeguard stand. The guards told my parents to get me into Sea Cubs so I could take care of myself. I really think that I was beach brat and they just wanted to get rid of me for part of the day. Sea Cubs lead to Junior Guards and by the time I was fifteen, Skip Conner and Steve Knauer would let me sit in their towers and guard with them. They even gave me a tube and let me patrol the rocks for them (as well as get their lunch and cold drinks).

The one thing that influenced me the most was the Rookie program and Dale Ghere. I was lucky enough to be in the second Rookie class. Dale had the formidable task of training us not only to become lifeguards but also to become adults. Dale could do anything, he taught us discipline, he taught us patience, and he taught us how to become watermen. He also had a way to teach us pain during his workouts. Years later when I was a teacher and coach I tried to emulate many of the skills and techniques I learned on Main beach under his mentorship. I was very proud of my water polo players and swimmers who eventually became guards for Laguna.

It was great to be a guard, but we were the few, the proud: WE WERE THE ROOKIES. We were the lean mean Dale Ghere’s machine. We had the best of all possible worlds, great friends like Charlie Ware, Bill Brown, Jeff Slowsky, John Enfield, Dirk Van Dusen, Earle Wellsfry, Brad McCallahan, and Jeff Quam. We had daily workouts with Dale; we ran relief and worked the unit at night. On top of that they paid us $2.73 an hour, and let us go to parties where there were lots of beautiful girls and beer.

Dale taught me how to row, something I still do today. I loved rowing in competition as a guard and competing on Taplin relays, the Catalina Crossing and at Nationals. My whole family still rows but now it is crew, and I watch my daughters compete in regattas. When I sit in my shell in the mornings I still can hear Dale’s frustration in trying to get me to pull on both my oars at the same time.

I was lucky enough to start guarding in 1969 and continued until 1984. Times were simpler. We guarded, went surfing or diving; pier jumped, had great beach parties, and guarded some more. I was able to guard in the winters, I lived with Les Wall and Mike Dwinell at the infamous Wave St. house. Dick Johnson threw pots in the garage and his kiln was in the backyard. I was able to go bodysurfing with Dean Westgaard at Bird Rock during red flag days. I would repel off Crescent bay cliffs with Bruce Baird, who later would show me how to make clam chowder and cook prime rib. I was lucky enough to guard with my pier group Digger Ware, Craig Parsons, and Dave Kerr but to also guard with the likes of Art Smart, Jim Herdman, John Cunningham and Rod Riehl.

I was fortunate to be working a cardiac arrest as a guard and went to South Coast Hospital with the patient. I was doing CPR and mouth to mouth in the ambulance and into the ER. I was wet and sandy in only my trucks, and I was amazed when the ER doc jammed an eight inch cardiac needle into this guy’s heart and gave him a bolus of adrenaline. The shot did nothing for the guy and he died, but it affected me more than I realized. It took me many years and several different paths but eventually I became that ER doc.

I met my wife Donna at 3.5 when I was supervisor up in the State Park. I was looking for a date for a Toga party at Ingrid Loos’ house. Our first date was at the O’Hara’s house at La Bamba, where Bruce and Ingrid came through the door only wearing tortillas. We were married 22 years ago at Crescent Bay, and the beach has been a special place for us. We have watched our daughters grow up on the beach and go through the junior guard program (OK it was Newport’s).

Congratulation to all the fantastic people who have made the Laguna Beach Lifeguards such an energetic organization. I for one would not be the person I am today if it was not for my association with this group of men and women. To my friends and associates thank you for all the wonderful years at the beach.

A Memorable First Day

A Memorable First Day

By Steve Foster

Memory of my 1^st day as a Laguna Beach Lifeguard * via Steve Foster

It was June 1964 and I was 16. At that time, the City’s insurance policy would only cover those guards who were 18 years or older. Thus, anyone younger could only work part time (<>

I had only been in the tower at Picnic Beach for one hour, when a girl, about 14 or 15, runs up to me yelling that her brother is drowning. It was BIG SURF and he was around the point, where he had evidently been washed off the rocks.

I was so pumped up, but at least remembered to call the main tower to report the incident, as I took off in the direction the girl had indicated.

Dean Westgaard was either at Main Beach or Rock Pile at the time of my call, so he came out, by foot, and was at the top of the rocks observing my actions. I remember exactly what he said, once I had completed my rescue and the situation was under control . . . “Good Job, Rookie, but next time I would suggest you grab your fins and buoy before you go out on your rescue mission.”

The weather my first day was very cold and shitty, so I was pulled off duty as they were sending other guards home. Westgaard was in the jeep giving me some pointers for future rescues. All of a sudden, he got a report that a skin diver was shot at Boat Canyon. I jumped in the jeep with Dean and we drove over to Boat Canyon. There was a skin diver sitting/leaning against a rock holding the shaft of the spear that had gone right into his chest. It didn’t actually go all the way through, but to me, it certainly appeared that it should have been right through his heart. Dean essentially handled the situation as I observed and learned. The victim was calm and had not gone into shock. We needed to get him transported, so we had to put him on a stretcher to get him to the top of the path where we then met the ambulance. As the ambulance attendants were transferring the victim from the gurney to the ambulance, Westgaard noticed that they were getting ready to load the victim into the ambulance in such a manner that the shaft would have hit the top of the van causing major damage. Dean was quick to stop them and rotate him onto his side, so that he could then be slid in without further damage. The accident had occurred when the victim was coming out of the surf with a loaded gun. Definitely not proper safety protocol! He did survive and was quite lucky to only lose a few lobes of his lung.

DEFINITELY A VERY OVERWHELMING FIRST DAY FOR THIS ‘ROOKIE’ GUARD!!

Suffering From Some Level of Hypothermia

Jon Brick

I have hundreds of fond memories from 10 years of lifeguarding, 1975 through 1984. Here is one the whole family can enjoy.

The winter of 1974-1975 was when I went through training. There was a day during training that the water was 47 degrees. To add to it there was a bitter cold Santa Ana wind howling through the canyon. The type of wind that left the water surface near the shore fairly smooth, but farther out you could see huge white caps breaking.

Of course wetsuits were not an option, but I think it was Jack Lincke that talked Bruce into letting us use fins on a swim, the thought being we would spend less time in the water. When I hit the water it was an unbelievable shock. I literally could not take a breath for what seemed like an eternity it was so cold.

When the swim was over everyone was suffering from some level of hypothermia. I was shaking so much it felt more like convulsions.

We then marched up to city hall to take a written test. We could barely wrap our fingers around the pencils to write the answers, and the writing looked like scribbling. While I was working on my test, Bruce Baird and Jim Stauffer were standing next to me talking quietly while looking at some sort of chart. They seemed very concerned. I asked Bruce what it was they were looking at. He said it was a Navy exposure chart, and they were trying to figure out the length of the next swim that afternoon. He showed me the chart which had temperature down one side of it, and time in minutes along the bottom. A bright red line went diagonally across the page. I asked Bruce what the red line was. He said that was where the combination of temperature and time would cause death. Fortunately none of us hit the red line that day. I don't think the water has ever been that cold since here in Laguna.

Jon Brick

“Rescue Technique Learned in Time”

Newspaper Article about John Hill

“Rescue Technique Learned in Time”

“Guard Saves Girl”

June 24, 1960

“Laguna Beach lifeguard John Hill puts newly-learned rescue technique to work on

18-year-old Linda Wilson, who almost drowned in the rough surf at the beach at the foot of

St. Ann’s Drive. Miss Wilson was caught in an undertow.

“Just two hours after receiving instruction in mouth to mouth respiration, Lifeguard John Hill used that method of resuscitation to save the life of Linda Wilson, 18 of Covina, after he had pulled her from the surf at St. Ann’s beach late Monday afternoon. “I noticed the two girls when they went in the water,” said Lifeguard Hill, “and since the undertow was particularly strong, I kept an eye on them. They started to drift toward the undertow,” Hill continued, “and one of the girls called me to help her friend.

“Immediately I pulled the girl in and started to give her mouth to mouth respiration. After about twelve breaths her breathing was somewhat normal and forty-five minutes later she was recovered enough to come over and thank me.”

John Hill not only had his first spectacular rescue on Monday, but it was his first day of guard duty. Fortunately, he must have paid strict attention to the forty-five minutes of instructions given by Chief Lifeguard, Art Fisette, each morning.

The handsome, dark haired lifeguard, who is the son of Mr. And Mrs.George Hill of 441 Cress Street has just graduated from Orange Coast College in liberal arts and business administration.”