A group of burgeoning lifeguards from Malibu is heading “Down Under” later this month to train with one of the best surf lifesaving clubs in the world.
Nine youths from the Junior Lifeguard Program at Leo Carrillo State Beach are traveling to Maroochydore, a coastal city in Queensland, Australia, well-known for surfing and surf rescue competitions, to hone their skills in activities such as surf ski, ocean swimming and boat rescue, and other surf lifesaving activities with the Maroochydore Surf Life Saving Club, a world-renowned surf patrol organization.
Leo Carrillo Junior Lifeguard Program coordinator Tim Harvey is taking the ennead to Australia’s Sunshine Coast from Dec. 27 to Jan. 14 to expose the band to a higher standard of aquatic lifesaving and match techniques.
“They pretty much are the world-standard in competitions,” Harvey said of the Maroochydore lifeguard club, which also boasts a junior lifeguard team. “They are really good at training their young kids. So, we will get a taste for what it is like to train like that.”
The youth lifeguards based at Leo Carrillo State Beach taking part in the 2019 Surf Lifesaving Exchange include 16-year-olds Carolyn Kahlberg, Zachery Fine and Morgan Perlmuter; Hudson Eskigian, 17; Brooke Carlson, 15; Sam Manzano, 14; Cameron Habib, 13; and brothers Mason Meinhart, 11, and Miller Meinhart, 13.
The members of the batch have all been in the junior lifeguard program from three to nine years. They met many of the young lifeguards they will be training with when the Maroochydore club sent a group to Malibu last year.
“Our kids saw how good they were and were just like, ‘Wow, we want to do that,’” said Harvey, “which was great. That is how we get our standard up.”
Zachary’s father, David Fine, said his son, a skilled surfer and paddle boarder, was impressed with the aquatic skills the visiting youths displayed.
“He has competed and done well in some of the competitions here, but those Aussie kids set a new standard,” Fine said. “It gave him a new focus to get even better.”
Fine, one of several parents accompanying Harvey and the budding California lifeguards on their journey, said his son is excited about the chance to visit another country.
“Zach knows that the Aussies are among the best lifeguards in the world, and training with them will help him become a better lifeguard,” Fine said. “I am excited to travel as a chaperone and share this adventure with Zach.”
The 19-day trip will feature the Malibu group practicing with the Australian youth lifeguards and attending a surf rescue carnival that will feature Australia’s top surf rescue athletes competing in events in the ocean and on the beach.
Harvey wants his group to have a similar experience to what he had when he first went to Maroochydore in the 1970s. Harvey, a past participant in surf lifesaving competitions, traveled to and eventually lived in Australia for a couple of years in order to train with lifeguards, whom he eventually became friends with.
“I guarantee that can happen between our kids and the Australian kids because they are so likeminded,” Harvey said. “The kids just want to be out in the surf. The Australian kids want the same thing.”
Fine said Zachery wants to get to know the Maroochydore lifeguards.
“He is also excited about building new friendships on the other side of the world,” Fine said.
Harvey said the Malibu group will benefit greatly from the trip to Australia, but he noted the nine are just as talented in water rescue skills and competitions as their hosts in the Land Down Under. He said the only differences are that the Maroochydore junior lifeguard group trains all year and their group is made up of a lot more youths
“I’ve always said, if we know what the standard is, we can hang with them,” Harvey said. “Like I told the kids on our team, ‘If I put you in their program for the whole year, you would be right there with every one of them.’ The potential of our kids is so good.”
When last month’s Woolsey Fire burned through Malibu, the junior lifeguard program’s lifeguard trailer and storage unit were destroyed. Inside the structures were the program’s paddleboards, uniforms, and other lifesaving and training equipment. Friends of the Leo Carrillo Junior Lifeguards, a certified charity, recently started an online fundraiser to raise money for the lifeguards. Funds from the account will be used to help restart the program next summer.
Fine said the junior lifeguard initiative means a lot to everyone involved in it and has set Zachery on the path to be a great waterman. He said his son has aided people stuck in difficult situations in the surf.
“It has been great for his confidence and his sense of community,” Fine said. “The lifeguards are a tight group; it’s a good thing.”
To donate, visit gofundme.com/74rygs-leo-carrillo-jgs-woosley-fire-fund.