By Spencer Sterrit

On guard: Nanaimo lifeguards plant feet in sand at Westwood Lake

Jul 8, 2017 | 9:22 PM

NANAIMO — Outdoor lifeguards are rare on Vancouver Island, but Nanaimo’s beaches will be under watchful eyes for the summer.

Four lifeguards are on duty from 12 to 6 p.m. every day at Westwood Lake, cleaning the area, tending to any minor injuries and keeping a sharp eye on the water.

Taz Hartwick, aquatics recreation coordinator for the City, said beach lifeguards have been the norm for over 20 years, while other cities have removed lifeguards from beaches.

“It gives options to families that would like to have a lifeguarded, safe area they can swim in, outdoors,” he said. Having lifeguards also makes it easier to run summer and swim camps at the lake, he said.

After recent incidents at Thetis Lake in View Royal, the conversation about having lifeguards at beaches and lakes has ramped up. In recent weeks, two teens had to be rescued and a woman seriously hurt herself falling from a cliff at Thetis lake.

time served

Nanaimo man caught with over 30g of illicit drugs avoids additional jail time

5h ago

big return

Senior women's box lacrosse returns to Nanaimo after 10+ year absence

6h ago

environmental impacts

Accidental pump activation causes minor oil slick in Nanaimo marina

8h ago

The Capital Regional District, in charge of regional parks and lakes in south Vancouver Island, said there are no lifeguards at any of their parks. The reason given was because having lifeguards can give swimmers a false sense of security and any accidents often happen outside guarded areas or when lifeguards are off-duty.

Hartwick said he recommends every beach having lifeguards, to prevent even the small chance of an accident becoming a reality.

Serious accidents are rare at Westwood Lake, Hartwick said. “For the majority of the day we have a lifeguard in the water already, so they help people out before it becomes a problem.”

The last major incident at Westwood was the drowning death of a seven-year-old girl in 2010. The B.C. Coroners Service said she wasn’t wearing a life-jacket while under supervision of camp counsellors and three lifeguards.

Westwood lifeguards will be at the beach until Sept. 4.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit