Heat wave, big surf lead to hundreds of rescues — plus sting ray injuries and fire ring disputes

Hundreds of thousands of people sought relief from the heat at the beach during the scorching weekend. As a result, it was the busiest weekend of the year for lifeguards who had to deal with the massive crowds, big surf and strong rip currents, and sting rays that caused a lot of pain along the shore.

The sand was so hot, one man even got a second-degree burn on the bottom of his foot in Huntington Beach.

“It was the peak of summer, it had all the elements — the holiday, people being off, the surf and the weather,” said Newport Beach Battalion Chief Mike Halphide.

Surf from Hurricane Fabio eased through the weekend, but some south-facing beaches still saw waves in the 3- to 4-foot range with strong currents that posed hazards to beachgoers.

From the Fourth of July holiday through Sunday, an estimated 600,000 people hit the sand in Newport Beach, with the holiday and Saturday the busiest, drawing an estimated 110,000 people to the beach on those days.

“We reached the point of saturation,” said Halphide.

Lifeguards during the five-day period made 248 rescues, and responded to about 187 medical calls.

“People just weren’t leaving,” Halphide said. “We had (lifeguards) there until dark, with some towers open until 8:30 p.m.”

Laguna Beach also was busy, with an estimated 67,000 people, and lifeguards needing to perform 456 rescues and 135 medical aids, according to Laguna Beach Marine Safety Capt. Kai Bond.

Huntington City Beach saw an estimated 75,000 to 80,000 people on each day over the weekend, according to Marine Safety Officer Eric Dieterman. There were about 300 calls for service, about half of those for rescue.

Huntington Beach Marine Safety Lt. Claude Panis said sting rays started hitting people late Saturday — including two lifeguards stationed at different towers.

“It was crazy,” he said. “The heat was sending people to the beach. They were getting wet then getting stung.”

A few dozen beachgoers went home with sting ray injuries: 28 were reported in Huntington State Beach and another 48 at Bolsa Chica — and that’s just the ones who sought help from lifeguards.

Seal Beach also saw its share of sting ray injuries, according to Seal Beach Marine Safety Chief Joe Bailey. There were 73 over the weekend, with 35 injuries in just one day.

“The surf dropped off — you get all those people stomping around out there,” he said.

For one beachgoer who wasn’t wearing shoes, the sand was so hot it burned the bottom of his foot, the top layer of skin peeling away from the injury.

“We’re talking second-degree burns, just on the hot sand,” Panis said.

At Huntington State Beach, an estimated 1,112 people needed lifeguard help during the two-day weekend, according to State Parks Superintendent Kevin Pearsall. Bolsa Chica State Beach had an additional 764 rescues.

Huntington State Beach and Bolsa Chica State Beach had an estimated 350,000 people combined for the weekend.

“Everyone was here, we were packed from 6:30 in the morning to 10 at night,” he said. “No one wanted to leave. It was one of the longest weekends for us for rescues and medical aids.”

There were even a few fire ring disputes, he said.

“It’s a big summer recreational commodity for us, but if you’re not there, there’s five or six people who want to take it,” Pearsall said. “If you don’t have enough stuff laying down, they’re going to jump on it.”

He said the line just to park by 10 a.m. Saturday took 30 minutes to get through. “It was like Disneyland,” he said.