In a bad year, former lifeguard Doug Palfrey and his colleagues would rescue as many as 30 people from particularly dangerous waters off Long Beach in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
And a good year would yield at least eight rescues near Lovekin Rock, the site where Ann Wittenberg, a 52-year-old Ottawa woman, drowned Sunday on her daughter’s wedding day, Palfrey said. It is the same spot where Nijin John, a 27-year-old male student from India, died while surfing in February.
The two deaths in 2018 have locals such as Palfrey calling for the reinstatement of the Long Beach lifeguard tower, that Parks Canada toppled during a round of budget cuts in 2012.
In Palfrey’s 36 seasons of lifeguarding at the park, he saw the number of surfers swell from about a dozen people in total to hundreds of locals and visitors each day. He recalled being shocked when he learned the lifeguard program was being shut down.
“All the guards knew that there were going to be drownings,” Palfrey said. “The public are not protected as they should be.”
The Long Beach lifeguard tower stood near Lovekin Rock, directly in front of the steady rip that plagues the location. It was equipped with a rescue vehicle, jet ski, rescue surfboards and first aid gear.
Now, in place of the lifeguards and rescue gear, are bilingual signs that warn visitors about dangerous currents, and specifically those that flow around Lovekin Rock.
Parks Canada did reply to a request for comment.
Raph Bianchini, a lifelong surfer who works at Westside Surf, said he tends not to tell beginner surfers to go to Long Beach. Other beaches nearby are more learner friendly, he said. “Stay within your limits.”
Bianchini said one of the first things Westside Surf teachers tell people is to go out in the water with a friend and make sure their surfboard leash is firmly attached.
Bill Fend is the owner of Long Beach Surf Shop, where Wittenberg rented her board.
Fend said when his shop rents boards to customers, staff members deliver a standard set of warnings. He said surfing is not a terribly dangerous sport — despite this year’s deaths — but he said he would recommend anyone new to the sport or to ocean waters and currents to start with lessons. “Even if you’re a strong swimmer, there’s elements that you wouldn’t intuitively know.”
It takes around 20 minutes for emergency response to Long Beach, though locals in the water typically respond much faster, he said.
“People were there immediately trying to help,” Fend said. “It’s just sad that it happened.”
When asked about lifeguards at Long Beach, Fend said he felt that given the tragic incident, now was not the appropriate time for him to “stir the hornet’s nest” on the issue.
“But I can tell you in September you can call me and I will be one of the guys leading the charge wanting them back,” he said.
