Hello everyone,
It has been a long time since I have sent a story. Here is one I just received from Jack Lincke. It is about Eugene DePaulis.
The first picture is of Eugene DePaulis. The second picture is of Eugene, in the jacket, and John Parlette. The third picture is of Eugene and Jack Lincke. The fourth picture is of Eugene and a bunch of nice lobsters. These pictures are from the 1960’s.
Enjoy,
Dale Ghere
Guarded 1960 - 1974
Lieutenant Eugene “Oka” DePaulis
By Jack Lincke
July 14, 2015
Eugene DePaulis started working for Laguna Beach Lifeguards under Lifeguard Chief Art Fisette, in the summer of 1959 after graduating from Laguna Beach High School.
Eugene worked seasonally for two summers. By this time, Laverne Dugger had become Chief.
Showing so much promise as a lifeguard and waterman, Eugene was promoted to Recurrent Lieutenant Lifeguard.
Back then in Laguna, the entire Lifeguard staff was seasonal. Laverne Dugger was Chief; Rod Riehl was Captain; Jake Jacobsen and Dean Westgaard were Lieutenants.
In the winter of 1967, Chief Dugger promoted Eugene to Permanent Lifeguard.
During the early 60’s, status in the Laguna Beach Lifeguard Department was primarily determined by one’s ability as a diver.
It was a big contest to see who could get the biggest lobster, abalone or halibut. The elite would lay their halibut on the boardwalk by the main tower, trace around the fish with a permanent marker, and label the outline with name, date and weight.
Top status was held by Eugene DePaulis, John Parlette, Dean Westgaard, John Cunningham and Jay Rife.
Eugene knew every lobster cave and hole from Abalone Point to Dana Point.
My most memorable experience of diving with Eugene was when he invited me to join him on a night dive at Seal Rock in San Clemente. Eugene’s friend Alex Ott had a boat at Dana Harbor. So Alex took us down to San Clemente. Eugene took me into one of his secret lobster caves at Seal Rock. We went into the cave, and as my eyes adjusted, I could see that every shelf and crevice was alive with lobster antennae! Eugene started to systematically catch the biggest lobsters. For me it was one of the best night dives of my life. We returned to Dana Harbor late that night with our limits of giant lobster and big smiles on our faces.
Several years later, I decided to do a night dive alone in that same cave. I swam from the beach (a very long swim) and went into the cave. It was again filled with lobster. A swell was building. After about 15 minutes in the cave, a set came through and I was tumbled around and smashed against the cave wall. My light went out from the impact. The sediment from the cave floor was stirred up so that I could not see my hand in front of my mask. I couldn’t locate the exit. I had pulled my 5 minute reserve and was sucking pretty hard on my regulator when the next set hit. It washed me out of the opening. I would have given anything to have had my old buddy Eugene by my side on that night dive.
Another unforgettable experience with Eugene was when we were working together on a windy winter day. We were on patrol. As we drove by Rock Pile, Eugene was captivated by all the reefs that were exposed by a record minus tide. Eugene decided he was going to walk down on the rocks and take a look. He was dressed in shoes, long pants and Lifeguard jacket. After about ten minutes, Eugene came back to the Lifeguard truck and tossed a live lobster into the cab through the passenger side window. He had pulled it out of one of his secret holes. All he said was . . . “Take this home and cook it up for dinner.”
Eugene “Oka” DePaulis was an outstanding Lifeguard, diver, body surfer and all around waterman. Eugene had an almost spiritual connection with the ocean. He was totally attuned to nature and the environment. I appreciate having had the opportunity to work with him. He taught me a lot about the ocean.
