HUNTINGTON BEACH – City lifeguards cautioned beachgoers on Sunday to be vigilant in the wake of an unusual number of rescues Saturday along a quarter mile of the beach just south of Huntington Beach pier.

Huntington Beach Lifeguards hauled nearly 200 people from the surf Saturday between Towers 3 and 9 during a four-five hour window, said Huntington Beach Marine Safety Lt. Eric Dieterman.

The high number of rescues was due to a combination of crowd density, high surf and dangerous ocean conditions, he said.

“People were getting into rip currents and trapped in holes from an uneven ocean bottom,” said Dieterman. “We had a couple of mass rescues with five or six people needing help at one time.”

Lifeguards were kept busy running into and out of the surf in a four block area between 1st Street and Huntington Street south of Huntington Beach pier where venues for the U.S. Open of Surfing were located. Rescues occurred mainly between 10 and 2 p.m.

Some of those rescued may have not known how to swim, Dieterman said. But the ocean conditions made it tough, even for those who did know how to swim. Surf was at 4-6 feet and the tide was going out until past noon, he said.

“It’s important people know what the ocean hazards mean,” he said. “If they’re near a lifeguard tower, they should ask about the prevailing ocean conditions and find out about the best place to swim.”

The crowds during the opening weekend at the U.S. Open of Surfing were less than an average summer weekend, he said, likely because of the fog conditions.

“Not much is going on as far as the venue,” he said. “Visitation didn’t exceed expectations for a normal weekend. We expect that to change as the finals get going.”

Surf was smaller Sunday, at 2-4 feet, but Dieterman advised beachgoers continue to stay vigilant in the water.

When the surf gets smaller, beachgoers are less concerned but can still be pulled out in rips or fall into holes on the uneven ocean floor, he said.

There have been no shark sightings in the last week, Dieterman said. Likely, he said, there was a lot of bait fish for them to catch in earlier weeks and now they have moved on along their normal migratory routes.

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