The Huntington Beach Lifeguards operate under the Marine Safety Division and provide public safety from Beach Blvd. north to Sea Point Ave. The Lifeguards patrol the 3.5-mile shoreline from dawn to dusk, 365 days a year. Daily staffing levels vary from several Marine Safety Officers in October through April, to as many as 65 lifeguards in the summer.
The Huntington Beach Lifeguard program was founded in 1918 by the city to establish ocean safety services by hiring first lifeguards Henry Brooks and Robert Nutt to guard the beachfront. In 1931 the city added Delbert “Bud” Higgins to assist Gene Belshe as first full-time year-round lifeguards, and the program has continued to grow into over one hundred seasonal lifeguards each year.
The Lifeguards of Huntington Beach offer an invaluable service to the residents and the millions of visitors to beach. Each year they make several hundred thousand Preventative Actions and make hundreds of rescues to those in need.
