Ocean Lifeguard II

As I've stated in my bio, I served as a proud member of the Atlantic City Beach Patrol for fourteen seasons (left). Unlike what you might have seen on the television show "Baywatch," our experiences with rescues on the East Coast, were much different. We faced ocean conditions that could change from day to day, due to holes that formed on the oceans floor. These were brought on by fierce conditions such as Nor'east storms. These holes, sometimes as wide as a city block, created a swirling vortex (offset) capable of dragging a bather under the oceans surface within minutes. Compounding the problem were menacing piers and jetty's hiding sharp barnacles beneath the oceans surface that could tear your flesh like a razor. Following is an account of a rescue my partner Tommy and I faced back in the 1960's. It is taken from the first chapter of my book entitled.

OCEAN LIFEGUARD

Chapter 1

THE RESCUE

Part II

We gathered ourselves, now clear of the break, not subject to the crashing waves. Free of this impediment, we were able to move faster and better assess the situation. Suddenly, remembering the other guards, I glanced up just in time to see Geza and Jackie get slammed broadside by a huge wave, filling their boat to the gunnels and dashing them unceremoniously to the beach. My last glimpse was of them grabbing can buoys and running down beach in another attempt to assist us.

Turning for another look, my worst fears were confirmed. The first set of girl’s were now being controlled by the deadly offset. The second two were following the first duo into this vortex of danger, unaware of their plight. It didn’t take long for all four to realize their predicament. They tried to swim against the set in a vain attempt to reach shore. The harder they swam, the more exhausted they became. The merciless currents carried them inexorably toward the pier, where rows of pilings with razor sharp barnacles awaited them.

The two men had followed the girls, but were not yet themselves in trouble.When they became aware of the girl’s distress, they raced to help. The two were good swimmers but, as they would soon learn, no match for the wrath of this angry maelstrom.

Brave, but foolhardy, the men swam into the set, realizing quickly they were now part of the problem. We saw the panic in their body language similar to a scene from jaws. A look of horror came over their faces as the reality of their situation sank in. The two realized they had made a big mistake and were floundering badly as the deadly offset took control.

Tommy and I saw what was coming instantly. It played out before our eyes like a bad horror flick. We kept moving with the force and speed necessary to overtake them.

The set was now tossing the four girls wildly about. The choppy seas lapped their heads, causing them to disappear beneath the surf, only to resurface, arms and legs flailing frantically. We heard them cry out “Oh God, please help me.”

Maneuvering as best we could, we battled the heavy surf, feeling the spray wash over the boat, soaking us with every stroke. Fatigue was starting to set in. We rowed as hard and fast as we could into this perilous situation.

Turning to take my last bearing, I spotted the four panic-stricken victims whose repeated cry’s of “Oh God, oh God,” could still be heard above the high winds. The four were separated into pairs about twenty feet apart.

We decided to go after the furthest two first, because they were closest to the pier. As we passed within close proximity to the second pair, Tommy stood, braced himself…and threw the donut. They grabbed onto it as he reeled them in and pulled them into the stern.

Meanwhile the momentum of the boat carried us alongside the first two girls. We had hoped to maneuver them to the stern where the first two were already in the boat. Unfortunately, we had gotten too close. One of the girls grabbed the gunnels between the tholepins shutting down our ability to row. The second girl latched on to another part of the gunnel further impeding our progress.

The two men who had tried to help were still upwind of us and closing fast. I left my oars and moved quickly to the bow where there was another donut. This act left the boat dangerously unattended and subject to the whims of the sea.

As the two men closed, I threw the donut almost ringing an outstretched arm.When I got them to the boat, they grabbed onto the bow. Their combined weights had the same effect as an anchor, further interfering with our effort to control the boat, placing us in further danger. There was no way I could get them into the bow, since the sides at that end are much higher and narrower than at the stern.

Tommy managed to get one of the second two girls to the stern of the boat. She was crying hysterically, holding on tightly to the gunnels, for fear of being washed back into the sea. Little did they know what awaited them. Tommy moved to the girl who was now holding on between the oars. He tried to pry her hands from the gunnels to move her to the stern. She screamed in terror at the thought of losing her security. Her death grip was vise-like.

The two men hanging on to the bow started working their way toward the stern.They realized it would be easier to get in the boat at that lower end. As they got closer to the tholepins, they started tipping the boat at a dangerous angle. We tried to help them in,but their combined weight caused the boat to list badly, and we started taking on water.They quickly abandoned that plan.

We turned to see the hulking pier looming menacingly closer and realized we only had one choice: To sink the boat, and turn it over. 1.

Standing on the lower gunnels, we rocked the boat so that water started pouring in. The boat heaved upward. We reached up and grabbed the upper gunnels to help pull it over. As the boat came over, the two men who had been holding on pushed themselves backward into the sea to avoid getting hit. The two girls on the other side let go when water started coming in and grasped for the boat’s underbelly.

The pair in the stern, who may have thought they were secure, started screaming uncontrollably as they were thrown back into the sea. If any of the victims were able to have a rational moment, they probably thought we had taken leave of our senses. But now, with the craft over and part of its belly exposed above the water, the victims had something to cling to. Due to its heaviness, the current wasn’t able to move the boat as swiftly as before.

The girls continued screaming, sobbing, and begging for God and their mothers to help them, while holding on for their lives. The men had terrified looks on their faces.

We pointed our bow toward the pier and worked to get the victims moved to the seaward side of the boat to avoid the pilings.

I had moved one of the girls to the safer side of the boat and went back to the inside to see if others were in need. At the same time, I realized we were being carried under the pier. A black cloud passed overhead, blotting out the sun. Was this an omen?

The next instant unfolded like a slow motion picture. I saw the boat being lifted by a ground swell and realized I was caught between it and some pilings. The boat descended on me. At the last second, as it was about to crash into my head, I ducked under. I could feel the concussion of the boat hitting the piling, missing me by inches.

I had, however, gotten too close to the piling and as the sharp barnacles sliced me, it felt like hot coals searing my flesh. My back and legs were slashed and I saw the greenwater turn crimson. I started to surface with my arms held high above my head and came up under the boat. Since an air pocket forms when a boat is turned over, my training kicked in. I surfaced into the air pocket, took a breath, submerged, and came up safely on the seaward side of the boat.

This was not the end of our desperate saga.

1. The reason for this is twofold and part of our training. First: Piers have hundreds of pilings under them, further apart from side to side than front to back. This allows a lifeboat to be maneuvered through the openings. There are also huge ground swells beneath the pier running toward the beach, capable of lifting a boat like a cork and dashing it against a piling. The pilings have sharp barnacles that can cut like a razor. Second: When sunk and turned over, a boat becomes much heavier, thus less affected by the swells: however, serious damage can still be inflicted by this very dangerous condition.

To be continued...

A typical morning shooting the breeze on the tent porch. Most of the guys use to get to work early to either take a swim, train for the annual boat races, shoot seas (as pictured above), or all of the above. From left, Me, Murph, Gray and Louie.