Huntington Beach lifeguards urge beach safety; 350 rescues made last week due to rip currents

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- If you have plans to head to the beach soon to try to beat the heat, officials are warning beachgoers to be careful.

In an Instagram post, lifeguards in Huntington Beach said they made 350 rescues last week alone, due to strong rip currents and dangerous shorebreak.

Lifeguards also said they took more than 10,000 "preventative actions" in and around rip currents.

Trevor McDonald, the marine safety division battalion chief for the Huntington Beach Fire Department, said a rescue is defined as physically helping someone out of the water.

"The goal of our marine safety division is to prevent rescues from happening so we want to get there," he said. "We want to educate our visitors and get them in that safe areas to swim."

He said rip currents are the top danger for beachgoers, describing it as "a river of water going out to sea."

"It's pulling beachgoers into deeper water and then you can see the lifeguards coming in and making contact with those beachgoers and then pulling them out of the rip current and then safely back to shore," he explained.

Those incidents happened during a holiday week so, of course, the beaches were crowded. But with extreme heat forecasted across Southern California this week, beachgoers are urged to check in with the nearest lifeguard before entering the water.

Last week, lifeguard Elizabeth Lovat suffered a spinal cord injury while on duty.

In a statement released by her family, Lovat remains in serious condition but is stable. They thanked the community for their love and support.

People are encouraged to donate to Elizabeth as she recovers.