Thousands of lifeguards have served the beach in Wildwood Crest, but it takes a certain kind of person to leave a lasting legacy like the one left by Ronnie Ayres. Having worked in the three different decades, Ron was able to make an impact on the beach patrol and the countless number of guards he worked with along the way. We are happy to be able to share with you some of Ronnie's stories from his time on the beach as well as the exciting life experiences he's had after the Crest. 

What made you join the beach patrol?
Temple University Swim Coach, Tom Popdan said it would be a good way to get in shape for the college season. 

What are some of your best memories from your years with the WCBP?
Training for the events, swimming, paddling, rowing and the time spent on the water. The camaraderie with the guards and the cast of characters that have worn the orange and blue.

Tell us about your life after the beach.
From ‘86 to ‘89, working the beach flowed perfectly with college and after the ‘89 summer I moved to Encinitas in Southern California and was fortunate to grab a Lieutenant position with the Encinitas Lifeguard Service. Protecting the Encinitas Beaches on 24 hour call year round included all the water in the city. So besides large surf rescues and cliff falls and boating emergencies, we were also responsible for the rivers which would occasionally flood and you know people love to try to drive across flooded rivers.

Lots of sketchy action in those days, with some highlights being jumping out of a Coast Guard helicopter into the ocean and a river rescue where I launched off the roof of a fire truck that put me in position to save 2 people standing on the roof of their pickup in a flash flood. In 1991 we were the first the agency in California to utilize wave runners for rescue scenarios and trained with the Hawaiian Lifeguards who had just begun to implement them. But after a couple years, I decided to move back East and found a situation that put me back on the beach patrol for a few more years.

After the summer of '97 I moved to Maui and found my skills were needed in the restaurant and wine industry on the island. Working for some of the most iconic spots in Hawaii, Roy's and Mama's Fish House as Wine Buyer and sommelier being the most notable stints. Evening schedules left the daytime open for time in the water and exploring the beautiful island of Maui.

I quickly became involved with racing Outrigger Canoes with a couple of the notorious canoe clubs on Maui and training for and racing in the World Championship race, 42 miles from Molokai to Oahu became an obsession. Becoming familiar with the Hawaiian Islands from a seat in an Outrigger Canoe is impossible to describe. I was fortunate to have teammates and friends around me who had the same passion for adventure and between surfing and racing canoes in the islands I learned a lot real fast.

In 2007, I took a year away from the food and beverage scene to work on a performance sailing catamaran which finally satisfied one of the reasons I moved to the islands. But again came the itch to make a change and after “One More Summer” on the Crest beach patrol in 2008, this time it was Lake Tahoe in Northern California.

It was an exciting time and in 2010, as co-owner, I  opened a Cafe/ Standup Paddleboard rental and retail shop on the water in North Lake Tahoe called Watermans Landing. We developed programs that I wanted to imitate the Junior Lifeguard programs I knew from the Crest Beach and it worked. We became a headquarters for paddling in Tahoe, bought our own outrigger canoe, started the Junior Waterman program and built a great seasonal business that still kills it!

At that same time I began racing Standup Paddleboards and aligned with the brand, Tahoe SUP, first as a sponsored racer but I also quickly became an employee, getting involved with the marketing efforts.  Writing copy, content and running social media, grew into helping direct the brands image and sales. The sport was pretty new and Tahoe SUP had introduced the first boards built specifically for touring and paddling longer distances as the the industry had only seen oversized surfboards till then.  
The racing scene got me traveling around the country, representing the brand and supporting our growing dealer base.  In 2012 we developed a marketing concept called EXPLORE Project, which myself and an a couple other team members traveled to numerous paddling destinations with film crews and made short films about the adventure and the locations. To say the least, it was a ton of fun, paddling new zones, contributing to the production of the projects, writing stories about the trips for industry magazines and meeting people from all over the place.

Over this past year, I have been spending more time on the East Coast, closer to home and it's been great to be around my old friends and of course, spending time in the Crest around my travel. You might have seen the LXV Outdoor sprinter van I frequently drive, parked around the island.  LXV is the parent company now for the 3 paddle board brands, Tahoe SUP, KM Hawaii,  and Fish Stalker.

How has the beach patrol impacted your life?
So many ways. But one for sure is having an understanding of life threatening moments and having the ability to do something about it. It has come in handy many times over, in the ocean and out.
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It was always fun to come back to the beach patrol and jump right into the lifeguard race scene.  The level of the athletes within the Crest beach alone always created an intense but friendly environment of competition.  With the likes of Bic Murphy, Joe Maloy, Terry McGovern, John Maloy and many more, the Crest was always considered a contender on any Friday night race in South Jersey. Putting in the time on the water to prepare for rowing, surf dashing, paddling and swimming races is always what I miss most about guarding.

The friendships I have made there will last my whole life.

What advice would you give a young guard today?
Absorb as much knowledge as you can from veteran guards and keep your eyes on the water. It also has much to teach you.

Dependable, courageous, humble, and diligent. These are some of the qualities that the Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol looks for in their candidates each year. Alumnus, Matthew Donahue was a guard that optimized what it meant to serve on the beach. He has taken valuable lessons learned during his years with the WCBP and has applied them to his life after the Crest. We are excited that Matthew has been so kind as to share some of his experiences from his time as a Wildwood Crest lifeguard.

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Video courtesy of Kip Brazie Photography

The ocean is a majestic, powerful and ever changing element, full of beauty and wonder. We find peace in its calmness and can be humbled by the energy and strength it can display. Living near the ocean fosters a bond and familiarity and can provide a never ending education about water conditions. Enjoying water sports on the ocean deepens the connection to nature and also develops a deep respect for the unpredictable possibilities. Committed surfers, sailors, fisherman, paddlers and others focus a vast amount of attention on the ebb and flow of the tides, wave size predictions, strength and direction of the wind, even phases of the moon to make decisions on reaping benefits of what the ocean has to offer. Ocean knowledge can only be gained with experience. The elite level of these activities will surely chalk up their understanding to time in, on or around the water.
Then there are those that work professionally with the ocean as their office. This develops yet a higher level understanding and ability to identify situations.  There is a glaringly obvious sixth sense to anticipate probable outcomes and react accordingly. In the position of a seasoned ocean lifeguard this skill plays a most critical role.

DUTY CALLS
In this video, one of our ambassadors, Tim Capra, a 22 year ocean rescue veteran and off duty lieutenant with the Vero Beach Lifeguards, rescues two people from a rip current while enjoying an evening at the beach with his family.

While being filmed for a short interview to raise awareness for the upcoming Earth Day beach cleanup by Surf City surf shop owner, Kip Brazie, Capra sees a rip current developing near some bathers.  As he moves closer to the water, the bathers are swept into deeper water where they can no longer stand and Capra hits the water in a full sprint with his daughter’s small foam surfboard.

​As he approaches the victims, who now have been sucked out beyond the breaking waves, a fully blown rip current has clearly formed.  Rip currents are more common during larger surf episodes but can flash at anytime without warning.  They are primarily caused by water that rushes back out to sea through a gap in a sandbar, creating a river type flow that even a strong swimmer could not swim directly into.

Once Capra has the victims holding onto the board, he makes his way back towards shore and into shallow water. The quick actions of Capra and his ability to not only see the developing danger but simultaneously identify that the non-swimmers were unaware of what was happening, leaves this story with a happy ending.

SWIM NEAR A LIFEGUARD
The United States Lifesaving Association offers these tips to avoid and survive rip currents:
Learn how to swim!

• Never swim alone.
• Be cautious at all times, especially when swimming at unguarded beaches. If in doubt, don’t go out!
• Whenever possible, swim at a lifeguard protected beach.
• Obey all instructions and orders from lifeguards.
• If caught in a rip current, remain calm to conserve energy and think clearly.
• Don’t fight the current. Swim out of the current in a direction following the shoreline. When out of the current, swim towards shore.
• If you are unable to swim out of the rip current, float or calmly tread water. When out of the current, swim towards shore.
• When unable to reach shore, draw attention to yourself: face the shore, wave your arms, and yell for help.

If you see someone in trouble, get help from a lifeguard. If a lifeguard is not available, have someone call 9-1-1 . Throw the rip current victim something that floats and yell instructions on how to escape. Remember, many people drown while trying to save someone else from a rip current.

The primary safety devices for Standup Paddle Boarding are the use of a leash to connect yourself to your board and a Coast Guard certified Personal Floatation Device (PFD).  For some great info on what type of PFD is right for you, check out this video from Tahoe SUP dealer Big Winds in Hood River Oregon.

By Ronnie Posted March 31, 2017 in SUP Lifestyle
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