The Huntington State Beach (HSB) Junior Lifeguard Program is a ocean oriented course taking place at HSB. The aim of our program is to provide a safe place where participants can be instructed in a variety of skills pertaining to the lifeguarding profession and the aquatic environment. Instructors will introduce participants to basic CPR skills, basic First Aid, basic rescue techniques, and lifegu
arding procedures. We also include an interpretive component provides information about the ocean habitats and local ecosystems including field trips. We offer six hours of instruction per day. The extra time we offer allows our program to be more in-depth in all areas of instruction. Some of the main focuses involve general aquatic safety, team building exercises, and physical fitness. The majority of the programs content revolves around the following areas:
-Recreation: Surfing, Bodysurfing, Bodyboarding, Beach Flags, Paddle Boards, SUP, Swimming
-Education: CPR Skills, First Aid Skills, Mock Rescues, Victim Recognition, Beach Operations
-Interpretation: Least Tern Preserve, Beach Hazards, Wetlands, Wildlife Care Center
-Competition: Activities designed to increase participation at both individual and team level (opportunities to compete against other agencies)
Our staff is made up of current State Park lifeguards all of which are required to have spent two seasons in the field prior to becoming an Instructor. Currently we average nearly 9 years of experience among the 12 returning full-time instructors. All of our instructors possess an intimate knowledge of the ocean, excellent lifeguarding skills, and a great ability to interact with youths. The ratio of instructor to students is 20:1.
