Laguna Beach Lifeguard Department - Laguna Beach, California

Suga S.

An enforcement arm of the home owners along the coast... they make sure you have as limited access to the beaches and tide pools as possible under federal regulations. For instance, life guards have tried to kick me out of bays because they are "private property"... 1. Why are you lifeguarding in a non public area 2. All areas up to the high tide mark are public ( i told the dude to get bent)

The tide pools are basically always inaccessible due to high tide rules, basically making those beaches private the majority of times. It didn't used to be like this.

bia T.

My friends and I visited Treasure Island from 10 AM-7 PM on august 7th and were surprised to see the very big waves that day. The lifeguards seemed to be looking around but I wasn’t really paying attention to what they were doing most of the time. During the evening, I saw the lifeguard (closest towards the tide pools as you go down the stairs from montage resort) begin to pack up as his shift ended. He was a white male with a mustache. There was a close-by beach blanket to the left of us that had left their goldfish out unattended. As a seagull tried to take the wrapper, my one friend decided to chase it away so that it would not bother the people around us. The seagull was able to rip open the goldfish and took the wrapper close to the waves. Once the seagull dropped the wrapper, I told my friend to not retrieve it since it’s highly unhygienic and should be retrieved with a napkin or gloves. A few minutes later, the lifeguard goes to the wrapper and proceeds to come back to my blanket and throw the wrapper towards my friend (it landed right next to her foot but also could have easily hit her). He said “don’t forget this it belongs to you” or something along those lines in a completely condescending tone. This appalled me as we felt disgusted and disrespected. My friend calmly informs him that the trash is not ours and he only cowardly says sorry as he goes to throw it away. In what world is it okay to throw trash at beach goers? Why start a commotion in the first place when you could just go and throw the wrapper away yourself? I even heard the mom next to us scold her kid for leaving the goldfish out. Would it be okay to throw that wrapper at the kid because it’s his trash? I can’t believe that this kind of attitude is acceptable as a lifeguard. So disappointed and will be contacting more officials regarding this issue.

Lisa K.

Thanks to the care and quick thinking of two young female lifeguards, my 2yr old son was treated fast for anaphylaxis. I approach them because of what I thought at the time was a minor allergic reaction/eczema outbreak, but I did not realize that he had been stung by something. I initially went asking for Benadryl (and I’m so glad I did because had I gone to the store myself it could’ve been far worse). Upon seeing his hives continue to erupt and him cough increasingly and struggle, they called the medics who arrived there within minutes. They administered Epinephrine on site at the beach, and breathing treatments in the ambulance on the way to the hospital (where he was further treated and monitored). He was in full anaphylactic shock from some type of Sting (bee suspected, but we thought of jellyfish possibility after, too). The quick response got him fast treatment he needed, and I am forever grateful.

Cecilia D.

Every time my teenage kids and I come to try to enjoy this beach we always end up getting pulled out the water by these annoying lifeguards. We have never had this problem at ANY beach coming from Malibu to Newport regardless of the “high tides” I understand that the safety precautions are strict but come on.. water up ONLY to the knee cap for a 15 and 16 year old? Ridiculous. You’re department gets half a star.

Fergus F.

I want to commend the lifeguard who was posted at Sleepy Hollow on Saturday , August 27, 2022. The waves were truly overhead and he spent all day informing kids and parents of the danger of being in the shoreline impact zone . He was in and out of the water all day . Constantly vigilant . I felt safe going into the water knowing he had my back . Job well done young man , and a huge THANK YOU !!

James A.

As typical of area life guards, they are woefully unaware of the full range of ocean sports that ocean enthusiasts practice today. This includes ocean swimming and body surfing. Lifeguards in Laguna routinely pulled me out of the water because I was ocean swimming, safely, and needed no rescue (which they confirmed when I asked them). Probably they were surprised and decided to eradicate the object of their surprise (me swimming in the ocean) from their field of vision. It’s really unacceptable and amounts to discrimination. Surfer bias in a nutshell. If you don’t have a surfboard, they will restrict your access to the water even if you are safe/capable/don’t need rescue in any sense of the term. Maybe the city can give me 2000 bucks to buy a surfboard, or otherwise leave me alone when it’s clear I am not in danger.

Reece H.

I had to save a girl today at Crescent Bay who had been sucked out in a rip and was struggling to keep her head above the water and was waving her arm while saying “someone help me”. There were 3-4 guards on duty and no one helped her or helped me help her. It’s no issue for me to help out but there are lifeguards for a reason! Just hope it doesn’t happen again on a bigger day!

Will N.

I went to the beach and am a proffessional swimmer. there was about one foot of waves and they kicked me out because i didnt have proper flippers.. i was just trying to see the sharks they were talking about..