Lifeguard tryout season starts
March 3rd, 2010, 2:13 pm · · posted by Laylan Connelly, staff writer
If you’re looking for a gig on the beach, lifeguard tryouts for this summer season are under way starting this weekend.
“We always hope we have a good turnout, so we can be selective and hire the most qualified candidates,” Huntington Beach Marine Safety Lt. Mike Baumgartner said.
At the Huntington city tryouts, anywhere from 10 to 20 potential lifeguards will know that day whether they have a job. They usually get anywhere from 100 to 200 candidates — and with the economy the way it is, there might be some tough competition.
While some people might consider it a pretty plush job to sit on the sand during nice summer days with girls in bikinis chillin’ all around them, being a lifeguard isn’t about working on the tan.
“The city’s beaches are crowded, so if people want a job where they are saving lives and being active, this is the place to work,” Baumgartner said.
The tryouts are always a blast to watch — I could never do what these applicants accomplish — as people push themselves during a rigorous test of swimming, endurance and mental strength. While most are out looking for a paying job, some people just show up to try out to see how they compare to the younger applicants, just for fun.
All of the lifeguard departments up and down the coast require some sort of strenuous swim, and a run-swim-run combo. Click the jump for times and dates:
Think you have what it takes?
Seal Beach
When: April 17, 7:30 a.m.
Pay: starts at $15.84 an hour
More info: 562-430-2613
Huntington City Beach
When: Sunday, 8 a.m.
Pay: starts at $15.92 an hour
More info: huntingtonbeachca.gov/jobs
Newport Beach
When: March 14, 8:30 a.m.
Pay: starts at $16.76 an hour
More info: 949-644-3177
Laguna Beach
When: March 13, 8 a.m.
Pay: starts at $14.80 an hour
More info: 949-494-6572, ext. 505
San Clemente City
When: March 14, 7:30 a.m.
Pay: Starts at $15.69 an hour
More info: san-clemente.org/jobs
State Beaches
Pay: starts at $14.91 an hour
More info: parks.ca.gov/aquaticsafety
Huntington Beach
When: Saturday
San Clemente
When: March 27
Crystal Cove
When: April 10
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BEACHAPEDIA – your guide to the coast
Local surfers recognized
Last year they had somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 people applying for 20 lifeguard jobs. It pays $15 + change. You either got to be a kid living at home or a teacher on summer break to survive as a HB lifeguard. Good Luck!
Looking for a NEW start , fun out going friendly JOB , fun in the sun , opportunities for advancements and dreaming , watching over people safety for fun in the sun beach air disneyland of orange county beachs
What about Huntington State Beaches? Do lifeguards get IOU’s?
Previous lifeguards had to do a re-qualifying swim … Ashley, here’s a list of upcoming tryouts: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/sand-237923-water-beach.html?pic=1#article-read