San Clemente Beaches Open Over Labor Day Weekend
SAN CLEMENTE, CA —Over Labor Day, Orange County beaches are open, yet Orange County Lifeguards warn beachgoers to use good sense if arriving at the coast this holiday weekend.
Labor Day is typically a holiday to gather and party, but not amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials warn.
If you go to the beach over the Labor Day weekend, use good judgment, Seal Beach Marine Safety Chief Joe Bailey. With the heatwave, the town is "expecting a large attendance," he told the Orange County Register in a recent report. "It's one of the few available activities for people."
Expect to see signs reminding you to follow proper pandemic health protocols.
When you go to the beach, wear your masks out to your spot on the sand.
Stay socially distant from other beachgoers, and remain with your family groups.
Refrain from having or going to large gatherings.
In Laguna Beach, a mask ambassador may hand you a mask if you don't have one.
Drinking at the beach is illegal and also dangerous, according to OC Lifeguard Chief Jason Young.
For the past several weeks, Orange County Lifeguards noted that a higher than the average number of ocean rescues and worse, deaths have happened at our beaches. Four people have lost their lives in ocean-related fatalities, and many more injured.
Over Labor Day weekend, a swell will bring in waves of 2 to 4 feet. Increased wave-height, inexperienced swimmers, and record crowds are a recipe for problems, according to Huntington Beach Fire Department spokesperson Eric Blaska.
Huntington Beach has seen two ocean-related deaths in recent weeks. Two more have occurred in the Table Rock area of Laguna Beach.
Those deaths are still under investigation by the Orange County Coroner's office.
"There's a lot of inexperienced swimmers or people who don't know their abilities in the water," Blaska told the OC Register. "We've had multiple near drownings."
The tide will peak in the middle of the day, creating dangerous conditions, especially those who visit small coves.
"People can get trapped in rocky coves as the water rises," Young says.
According to Young, there has been an increase in bridge and cliff jumping in Dana Point and Laguna Beach.
"We keep them off when we have eyes on them, but many come down at sunset when we get off duty," Young says. "That is when we have a lot of issues."
There has been an uptick of people drinking at the shore, as well, according to OC Sheriff's Department Sgt. Dennis Breckner.
With bars closed, people take food and alcoholic beverages to go and eat and drink at the beach.
Drinking "inhibits physical ability and makes it difficult to swim," Young says. People can pass out in the water, or blackout, thinking they are on the surface when they are not.
"Drinking is not allowed at any beach in Orange County," Young says," and cliff jumping is illegal."
This article originally appeared on the San Clemente Patch
