Last week, the Seal Beach Lions donated new equipment to the Seal Beach Lifeguards: a wheelchair that can go on the sand, a float, and a new drone. The money came from the inaugural rubber ducky derby, which was held in late May.
“The event raised a net $8k after equipment expenses and prizes,” wrote Seal Beach Lion Derek Moore in a Wednesday, July 27, email to the Sun.
According to Marine Safety Chief Joe Bailey, the Lifeguards have two beach wheelchairs. “The new one will replace an old one that is beyond repair,” Bailey wrote. The Lifeguards don’t keep statistics on requests for use, but Bailey guessed that one of the wheelchairs gets used daily.
The drone will be put to practical use according to both Moore and Bailey.
“The drone will be used to identify rip currents offshore, filming off shore rescues, spotting sharks during sighting alerts and creating training videos for both the lifeguards and the Junior Guard,” Moore wrote.
Baiely went into a little more detail. “The drone will be used for shark sightings if we have a confirmed sighting of a shark. We have already used it to take some overhead pictures of rip currents. This will help with training to identify a rip current and with our rip current safety outreach. We will also use it to photograph the kids in the Junior Lifeguard program,” Bailey wrote.
“The floating inflatable mat, which can be anchored offshore, will be used as a resting platform for the Junior Guard during their rigorous 7 week training program,” Moore wrote.
“The inflatable mat will be a fun item for the Junior Lifeguards. We are in the process of creating games and activities that will incorporate the mat,” Bailey wrote.
The Lions plan to have another Rubber Ducky Derby in 2023.
