Lights! Camera! Rescue!

Deepa Bharath

It takes a seasoned lifeguard to discern the traps that lie beneath

the dazzling beauty of the ocean.

The beach at Newport is as notorious for its rip currents and

deceptive surf as it is for its pristine, sun-drenched sands and piers.

Lifeguards come face to face with these underlying challenges every

day in an attempt to figure out the living, breathing conundrum that is

the ocean.

Their job intensifies in the summer, when the beach attracts thousands

of eager swimmers and surfers.

This is not “Baywatch,” folks. This is reality in all its paradoxical

glory -- seething, crashing, churning, ripping, dramatic yet tragic, dull

and morbid reality.

And every moment of that realism has been captured and condensed on

film, two films to be exact, that will premiere on national television

this weekend.

The stars of the show? Newport Beach lifeguards.

The first show, titled “Beach Watch,” will broadcast Saturday on The

Learning Channel and will feature some sensational ocean rescues and some

reenactments based on lifeguards’ past experiences.

The second film, “Beach, Sun, 9-1-1,” to appear on Discovery Health

Channel, will discuss such health-related topics as hypothermia, sting

rays, jelly fish, rip currents and using sunscreen.

The films will erode Hollywood’s portrayal of lifeguards, said Newport

Beach Lifeguards Capt. Eric Bauer.

“The films show [lifeguards’] professionalism, although ‘Baywatch’ did

give us notoriety,” he said with a laugh.

Bauer said cameras are not new to Newport Beach lifeguards, but even

they have never been part of something as detailed and elaborate as these

two pieces.

Camera crews filmed hundreds of hours last summer, capturing the

lifeguards’ every move.

“This is an accurate portrayal of what we do on the beach,” Capt. Jim

Turner said. “Sometimes, we just spend hours watching the beach. An

episode of ‘Baywatch’ tries to cram one year of lifeguarding into a

60-minute episode. But that’s not how it is.”

The films will give the public a realistic view, an appreciation for

the work lifeguards do and shine a more positive light on them, he said.

It was not just the subject but also the city that drew the camera

crew to the shores of Newport Beach, said Joe Cleary, film coordinator

for the city.

“They could have gone to any other beach, to Los Angeles or San

Diego,” Cleary said. “But they came here to Newport and saw that we’ve

got everything here. The films are a milestone for the department, Leary

said.

The experience touched rookies and seasoned lifeguards alike. Kyle

Bean, only 17 last summer, said he was impressed how the film captured

his life as a rookie seasonal lifeguard.

“I liked being part of it,” Bean said. “They took the fiction out of

our jobs and made it all real.”

The camera was not a hindrance but a motivational tool that encouraged

the young ones, said Lonnie Peek, a 12-year veteran in the department.

More than anything else, the films will give insight into the real

person sitting on the tower, said Mike Halphide, a Newport Beach

lifeguard for 16 years.

“When you talk to these lifeguards, you see their intellect, their

skills, their professionalism,” he said. “I think it tells people why we

love our jobs.”

FYI

“Beach Watch” is scheduled to broadcast at 9 p.m. and midnight

Saturday and again at 3 p.m. Sunday on The Learning Channel. “Beach, Sun,

9-1-1” is scheduled to show on Discovery Health channel at 8 and 11 p.m.

Sunday, as well as at 2 p.m. July 14 and 1 p.m. July 15. Times may vary

depending on the cable or satellite provider.