Nearly 2,000 beach rescues recorded as surf and heat create hazardous conditions

Ryder Williams, a teenage lifeguard with California State Parks, rescued a young boy swept off his feet by strong surf at Seabright State Beach, an act praised by President Donald J. Trump. Over the same weekend, Los Angeles County lifeguards performed just under 2,000 ocean rescues as a heat advisory prompted massive beach attendance. The National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center warned that swells from Hurricane Fausto and the approaching Tropical Cyclone Genevieve would generate life-threatening surf and rip currents along Southern California.

Experts linked the heightened risk to an intensifying El Niño pattern, which could sustain elevated surf throughout the summer. Safety officials urged swimmers to stay near lifeguard towers, use flotation devices for distressed swimmers, and avoid entering the water without proper rescue equipment. The United States Lifesaving Association cautioned that strong surf increases rip-current danger and that rescues, while frequent, are not unusual under such conditions.