Lifeguards Make Over 400 Rescues In 1 Day As Rip Currents Hit LA Beaches

MANHATTAN BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Strong currents and rip tides along Southern California kept lifeguards busy over the weekend as record numbers of beach-goers took to the coast to escape the intense heat.

Los Angeles-area beaches saw unprecedented numbers for October as the heatwave continues, but the conditions also presented some of the biggest waves on recent record.

Lifeguards, who made 413 rescues on Saturday alone, say waves were reaching 8-10-foot faces, which created troublesome undertows and rip currents.

"I was out there with my fins, and once you get past the crest of that wave, the rip tides just pull you out really quick," one beach-goer said.

The temperatures reached 90 degrees along the coast, heating the water as high as 73 degrees, resulting in large numbers of people hoping to get some swimming in over the weekend.

"In my 30 years of lifeguarding, this is the busiest weekend I've ever had in my career in October, for sure," LA County Fire Capt. Jim Arnold said.

Lifeguards want to remind beach-goers who want to enjoy the coast during the holiday to do so in front of a lifeguard tower.