Huntington Beach lifeguards Tyler Erwin, 25, left, and Henry Reyes, 32, along with Raquel Lizarraga, 25, volunteer with the Huntington-based International Surf Lifesaving Assn., or ISLA, which works to educate officials in developing countries on life saving techniques to reduce the death rate from drowning. (Don Leach, HB Independent / December 18, 2012)

When the sun is out and the weather is warm, Orange County residents flock to the beaches to surf, body board and swim in the chill Pacific without a second thought that if something happened, a lifeguard would be there to assist them.

But, in some countries, lifeguards aren't a given. Or if they are, there isn't always uniform life-saving procedures in place or the equipment and infrastructure needed to save lives.



Since 2008, lifeguards and other emergency personnel have volunteered their time to give assistance in Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Macedonia, Mexico, New Zealand and Nicaragua. The organization is getting requests for help in the Macedonia, Philippines, South Africa and Mozambique, said lifeguard Henry Reyes, 32.


ISLA is funding through donations. And, according to Reyes, most of the volunteers travel to the various countries on their own dime. The organization recently won $10,000 from the Chase Community Grant Contest.



The organization was founded by Reyes and his then fellow Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguard instructors Peter Eich, Scott Hunthausen and Olin Patterson. It started after Hunthausen, now living in Texas, returned from studying abroad in Nicaragua where his host brother drowned.





Depending on the situation, ISLA is conducting lifeguard certification courses, bringing down equipment and teaching how to identify swimmers in need of rescue, about the different rip tides and currents and how to use equipment, like buoys.





Twitter: @britneyjbarnes

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