A chant echoed across the sand and the water off Newport Beach, not far from where Ben Carlson was last seen in the distance.
“Ben did go! Ben did go!” the crowd of junior lifeguards kids belted out, many not yet born or still in diapers the day Carlson, a 15-year lifeguard and longtime junior guard instructor, died a decade ago while rescuing a swimmer in big surf.
The 10-year anniversary of Carlson’s death on Saturday, July 6, marks a tragic day in Newport Beach history – he was the first and remains the only Newport Beach lifeguard to die in the line of duty since the service formed in 1923.
“It’s hard to believe it has been 10 years. So many things I’ve had the blessing of experiencing in life, and I just wish he was with me. That’s the hard part. That’s the hard part for any parent,” Chris Carlson said as three yellow lifeguard boats raced toward the Balboa Pier to honor his son.
But Ben Carlson’s story continues through all the good that has sprouted from tragedy, like a ripple effect when a stone is dropped into water, those who knew him said.
There are the fundraisers and scholarships that have been created, the education and outreach that now happens and the camaraderie and friendships formed – Carlson the common link who ties them all together.
“All these amazing people we’ve met,” said Chris Carlson, next to his wife, Teri, looking around at the packed sand celebrating his son on Tuesday, July 2, what would have been his 42nd birthday. The community will also gather at 5:15 p.m. on July 6 to mark the 10 years since his passing, meeting at the last place he was seen near Tower 17.
Be like Ben
It was a trifecta that had lifeguards racing to save swimmers up and down the coast that holiday weekend a decade ago: hot weather, beach crowds and a mega swell that caused massive waves and strong rip currents.
The day was one of the busiest in recent memory, with guards in Newport Beach alone saving 562 swimmers that day, including one person who was struggling at 5:15 p.m. just south of the Newport Beach Pier near Tower 17.
Captain on the rescue boat that day, Gary Conwell, backed the vessel toward the struggling swimmer and Carlson jumped off with his buoy, a routine task the longtime lifeguard and big-wave surfer had done countless times before.
“It was nothing out of the ordinary, that rescue,” said Conwell.
The swimmer was saved. But Carlson was swept under a set wave and didn’t emerge to make it back to the boat.
Lifeguards from neighboring agencies rushed to help, all scrambling to search the sea for one of their own until his body was found, swept up the coast by the strong currents half mile away from where he went into the water.
“It’s all very difficult to think about,” Conwell said. “Could it have been averted? I don’t know. If he couldn’t make it, I don’t think anyone could.”
What has helped Conwell during the tough days leading up to July 6 each year is the overwhelming support from fellow lifeguards, friends and the Carlson family – and doing good in Carlson’s honor to keep his memory alive, Conwell said.
“He did a lot of great things – he was a strong person, a strong waterman,” Conwell said to the group of junior lifeguards ready to do a swim-run-swim from the Balboa Pier to the Wedge, a grueling task Carlson used to do on his lunch break. “Push yourself further, like he did. Be like Ben.”
It was in the days following his son’s death that Chris Carlson saw the outpouring of support, both in comforting messages and in donations flooding in.
“It all started with this community,” he recalled.
Chris Carlson, a group of his son’s friends and fellow lifeguards got together to talk about what to do with the money. The first big goal was to create a statue in Carlson’s honor, a stainless-steel lifeguard clutching a buoy, looking out toward the ocean.
They created a nonprofit called the Ben Carlson Memorial & Scholarship Foundation, with the goal of picking a select number of students each year who exhibit qualities Carlson had – strong work ethic, independence, academic rigor and promise, athleticism and service to the community.
To date, more than $400,000 has been given out to dozens of students selected by the foundation, with a goal to soon also give scholarships out to junior lifeguards who need assistance.
In the early years, board members noticed a disconnect among nonprofits trying to help spread the message about drowning dangers. The group teamed up with the Zac Foundation to form the California Water Safety Coalition, bringing together advocates, lifeguards and other nonprofits with a common goal – keeping people safe in the water, whether it be the ocean, pools, lakes or rivers.
Through those yearly meet-ups, lifeguards at different agencies started communicating more, sharing ideas.
“That’s a huge thing, all of us (lifeguards) in Orange County are trying to get together to do regional training to standardize our training, and that has a lot to do with Ben bringing other lifeguards together,” Conwell said, who talked about how guards from neighboring agencies stepped up to fill towers while Newport Beach’s lifeguards grieved.
The perception of lifeguards, too, has changed in the past decade following Carlson’s death, he said, which put a spotlight on just how difficult a lifeguard’s job can be – a career sometimes stereotyped as being a laid-back gig where guards get to relax at the beach all day.
A movie was also made, “Part of Water,” telling Carlson’s life story, as well as showcasing the dangers, and the lure, of lifeguarding.
“Lifeguards who have been around a long time, all these folks say it wasn’t until this happened that they really started getting any kind of respect that they deserved,” Chris Carlson said. “It’s neat to see that, another positive, out of something negative.”
Ben’s story is alive
The foundation’s largest fundraiser is a paddleboard race from Catalina, started by friend and big-wave surfer Spencer Pirdy.
Pirdy recalled how he was in Puerto Escondido, one of Carlson’s favorite places to hunt down big waves, surfing the same swell that roared from Mexico to Newport Beach that fateful day. As news spread of his passing, about 50 surfers from that surf community in mainland Mexico came together for a paddle-out tribute, another 1,000 or so people showing up in Newport Beach for an ocean memorial a week after his passing.
It was a year after Carlson’s death that Pirdy wanted to do something big to honor his friend. So he paddled to Catalina on a Friday, followed by a marathon run on Saturday, paddling back to Newport Beach on the third day.
“He always just amazed me with his work ethic, his natural athletic ability and how inclusive he was as a friend,” Pirdy said. “I really wanted to do something that honored his legacy and was water orientated, a really challenging physical event.”
The following year, the trek was scaled down to a one-day, 30-mile paddle in September from Catalina to Newport Beach. These days it draws more than 100 paddlers – last year alone raising more than $200,000.
The paddle fundraiser, in addition to helping fund the scholarships, continues Carlson’s mission by helping lifeguard operations around the world.
Lifeguards in Puerto Escondido were recently gifted a personal watercraft and an off-road vehicle to respond quickly and were trained on assessing big wave risks. Guards in Nicaragua, Mexico and other underserved areas have been given buoys and other lifesaving equipment.
“That’s exactly what he would have wanted. He always wanted to help others, he would love to know it is happening in these places he loved so dearly,” Pirdy, a boardmember of the foundation, said. “We’re constantly trying to keep our eyes and ears open for new agencies that need our help.”
Ensenada firefighter and volunteer lifeguard Armando Andrade and three other lifeguards from the popular tourist town in Mexico visited Newport Beach this week to give thanks to the foundation for recent donations and to pay respect to Carlson’s family.
Andrade shared what he knew with Carlson’s parents through videos about the iconic lifeguard, about how he grew up far inland in Rancho Cucamonga, a UCI waterpolo player drawn to the sea who evolved into an expert waterman.
“Just remember, Ben’s story is alive. It’s the story that brings us together. What happened to him on July 6, 2014, it can happen to anybody,” he said to Chris and Teri Carlson, choking back tears. “This is who we are and what we do.”
