Off to Auckland

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT BEACH -- Two longtime seasonal lifeguards will leave Wednesday

for Auckland, New Zealand, to participate in an exchange program

sponsored by the California Surf Lifesaving Assn.

Jon Mitchell, 34, and Rob Maier, 40, say they are eagerly looking

forward to the seven-week program, where they will have an opportunity to

learn from their counterparts across the globe.

“I’m interested to find out how they go about their rescues and

procedures,” Mitchell said. “And I also hope to hone and sharpen my

skills as a lifeguard.”

Maier said the New Zealanders have a hiring system that is completely

different from procedures here.

“There may be good things in their system that we can learn from and

try to implement here in California,” he said.

This is the first time that both delegates from the state have been

chosen from Newport Beach, said Capt. John Blauer, spokesman for the

Newport Beach Fire and Marine Department.

“It’s an honor,” he said. “They’re going to learn a lot and have a

good time.”

Mitchell and Maier will not only learn new skills but also share what

they have learned and mastered in Newport Beach, Blauer said.

The city’s lifeguards, part of the Fire and Marine Department, make an

average of 5,000 rescues a year. The Lifeguard Service established in

1923 now has 175 seasonal and 15 permanent lifeguards.

Both Mitchell and Maier have more than 15 years of lifeguard

experience, train junior lifeguards every summer and have won several

awards within the department.

What drives both of them, they say, is the thrill of saving lives and

a passion for the ocean.

Maier has worked as a plumber, truck driver and masseuse so he can be

a lifeguard in the summer. Mitchell is a certified ski instructor who

takes to the mountains in the winter.

“Lifeguarding is the best job there is,” Maier said. “You get to go to

the beach every day, save lives. It’s a blast. I can’t think of anything

better to do.”

Mitchell says he has a natural affinity for the water.

“I’m in the water by six in the morning,” he said. “And it’s hard to

explain the feeling of saving another human being’s life. It’s a good

feeling.”