Spend the summer on the beach with the Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguard Program. Tryouts start April 14, 2024. There is room for your groms, ages 9 to 17 years old. The program promotes beach and ocean safety through all kinds of activities, including swimming, surfing, body boarding, volleyball, beach flags, snorkeling, running, and fun beach games. Tryouts are open at www. HBSands.org under Marine Safety Education.

All tryouts are at Golden West College Pool on April 14, 21, and 28. Appointments are required and can be found at www.HBSands.org Tryouts consist of swimming 100 yards (four laps in a 25-yard pool) at or under one minute and fifty seconds, treading water for five minutes, and swimming underwater for ten yards at least three feet deep.

For the younger groms, 7 to 8 years old, there is the Sand Crab class. The three-week class is a scaled down version of the Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguard Program with tryouts consisting of swimming 50 yards at or under one minute and fifteen seconds, treading water for two minutes, and swimming underwater for five yards, at least three feet deep.

Both the Junior Lifeguard Program and the Sand Crab class are geared to get your groms comfortable in the ocean environment that we have here in Huntington Beach. In fact, one of our requirements, swimming underwater, simulates diving under a wave. It seems like a random skill, but our shores are impacted by surf every day. Make each summer day count with the Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguard Program.

For more information, please check out www.HBJuniorguard.com for the Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguard Program and the Sand Crab class. To make an appointment, please create an account at www.HBSands.org.