Thousands of people flocked to Huntington Beach on Monday to watch surfing legend Kelly Slater and other professionals ride the waves during the U.S. Open of Surfing.
But Huntington Beach Lifeguard 3 supervisor Greg Eisele and Lifeguard 2 supervisor Sean McLaughlin were busy watching the beachgoers from the pier, radioing to ground and water units if people were too far out in the water.
"It's really easy to see the rip currents [from the pier], so we can help the tower guards out," Eisele said. "We're the eyes in the sky up here. We can see a lot more than what's going on from those towers."
This week isn't a typical one for lifeguards and marine safety officers, and some would consider it one of their busiest weeks in the year. The U.S. Open draws thousands of people to the south side of the pier, but for Marine Safety Officer Matt Karl, Monday was a slow day.