The Marine Safety Operation provides public safety from Beach Blvd. north to Sea Point Ave. Lifeguards patrol the 3.5-mile shoreline from dawn to dusk, 365 days a year. Daily staffing levels vary from five Marine Safety Officers in October through April, to as many as 65 lifeguards in the summer. During the fall and spring seasons, staffing levels are vary- based on attendance and weather conditions. Shifts are so staggered that no less than two lifeguards are on duty during the early morning and late evening hours.

Marine Safety Staff staff provides public safety through a variety of functions and responsibilities. The Ocean Lifeguard performs a vital role in providing frontline protection of life, limb, and property. Marine Safety Officers patrol and respond to ocean rescues, major medical and law enforcement incidents from their emergency vehicles and vessels. In addition, Marine Safety Officers supervise, train and assist the tower guards. Lieutenants oversee Marine Safety Officers as the Operations Supervisor, Training Lieutenant or Administrative Lieutenant.

• Marine Safety Headquarters, Marine Safety Education Center
• 22 Lifeguard Towers & Tower Zero on the pier equipped with medical supplies
• 10 Fully-equipped Toyota Emergency Vehicles
• Underwater Search & Recovery Team Gear (SCUBA/Wetsuits & Dry suits)
• Personal Protection Equipment for Chemical & Biological Exposures/Mark I Auto Injector Kits
• 3 Twin-Engine Rescue Vessels
• 4 Rescue Honda Personal Watercraft (PWC)
• 1 Inflatable Rescue Boat (motorized)
• 8 Inflatable flood boats
• 4 Honda ATVs
• Swiftwater/Flood Rescue Equipment
• Cliff Rescue Gear Bags/Light Rescue Rigging Systems
• 14 Automatic External Defibrillators
• 800 MHz radio system (2 base stations, 15 portable, 15 mobile)

	2007
Attendance:	10,204,627
Rescues:	2,352
Boat Rescues:	6
Vessel Value:	$32,500
Preventative Actions:	160,943
Medical Aids:	1,434
Law Enforcement Contacts:	77,323
Lost & Found Persons:	277
Public Education Lectures:	83
Public Education Students:	11,131

Huntington Beach has grown from a sleepy beach town to a premier resort destination. The Marine Safety Operation has grown to continue to keep the surf safe in Surf City, and remains a leading agency as well as an international lifesaving model.

• 1918 City established lifeguard service by hiring first lifeguards Henry Brooks and Robert Nutt to guard the beachfront.
• 1931 City added Delbert "Bud" Higgins to assist Gene Belshe as first full-time year-round lifeguards.
• 1932 City erected its first concrete-based towers at Huntington Ave., Third Street and Sixth Street.
• 1938 Chief Higgins merged Lifeguards with Fire Department, first used radios, telephones, four-wheel drive vehicles, rescue paddleboards.
• 1957 Vincent Moorhouse promoted to Chief Lifeguard and applied his Navy Seals training to lifesaving and created the Perimeter Defense System and other programs that forever changed lifesaving; Huntington Beach becomes international lifesaving model
• 1963 Captain Max Bowman helped build and design the original Tower Zero on the pier. The tower was moved to the new pier in 1991 and replaced in 2000
• 1964 Lifeguard HQ was built at First Street (demolished in 2002).
• 1979 Harbors and Beaches Department consolidated with Recreation and Parks Department to become the Community Services Department under Director Moorhouse.
• 1980s Marked the use of Inflatable Rescue Boats and the creation of Swiftwater, Flood Rescue, and Cliff Rescue Teams.
• 1990s Huntington Beach was among the first agencies to use Personal Water Craft in surf rescue and deploy Automatic External Defibrillators in all response units.
• 2005 The new Marine Safety Headquarters and the Marine Safety Educational Center (Home of the Junior Lifeguards) completed.

The Junior Lifeguard Program was established in 1964 to educate children to recognize potential hazardous conditions associated with an ever-changing aquatic environment. The initial class of 24 junior guard students has blossomed to an impressive average of 1050 students per year. Emphasis is placed on safety, respect, physical fitness, instruction, and discipline. Students are schooled in the oceanic environment, First Aid, CPR, mutual cooperation, competition techniques, and lifesaving methods.

The Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguard Program is world renowned attracting students from Germany, France, England, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico. In the States: Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, New York, Utah and Florida. The program has been involved with eight international educational exchanges with New Zealand, Australia, and Germany. A 9th exchange is slated to occur in 2005-2006.

The program is eight weeks long, starting in the last week of June and ending in mid-August.

Qualified students are divided into three groups based on their age. These groups are A (14-17), B (12-13), and C (9-11). Each of these groups are then regrouped based on ability, experience and, in the case of the A-group, desired preference. Each group is assigned a surf cap color for easy identification when in the water.

Captains Corp (white caps): Developed for Junior Guards who have the drive to become an Ocean Lifeguard, or who wish to challenge themselves both physically and mentally.

Safety Aids (pink caps): Safety Aids assist the younger students in water activities. Acting as an extension of the instructors, they provide additional flotation and safety. This group has been recognized by other Junior Lifeguard agencies and has been utilized in regional and national championships.