Record-breaking surf conditions fueled by lingering hurricane swells and extreme heat have led to a significant surge in lifeguard rescues along Los Angeles beaches. Between July 24 and 26, the Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division conducted nearly 2,000 ocean rescues, marking one of the busiest weekends on record for the region’s lifesavers.

On July 25 alone, county lifeguards responded to 1,049 rescues across the 72 miles of coastline, contributing to a total of 1,950 rescues over the three-day period. In addition to these emergency responses, lifeguards carried out approximately 71,000 preventative actions, which include advising swimmers on hazardous conditions or entering the water without engaging in a full rescue. Over the same timeframe, 517 medical aids and 749 emergency vehicle responses were also recorded.

Venice Beach lifeguard Damian, who has served for four years, described the weekend’s waves as unprecedented. “We had insane waves, really big rip currents all day long,” he said. “On holidays, most of the time we get busy [with rescues], but it’s usually not as busy [as last weekend] where we saw that amount of swell.”

The spike in rescues has pushed the county’s total ocean rescues for 2026 to 8,331. Capt. Pono Barnes of the Fire Department’s ocean rescue unit attributed the unusually large surf to the combined effects of hurricanes Genevieve and Fausto lingering in the eastern Pacific. “All the swell is from the eastern Pacific hurricanes. It seems Genevieve’s energy has arrived on our shores,” Barnes explained. “In summer, we have more south swell, but the very large surf is from those two hurricanes.”

Barnes also noted that the extreme heat experienced inland has driven large numbers of people to the coast, further increasing the risk of incidents. “The extreme inland temperatures that have pushed everyone to the coast, the warm water, the hurricane surf — all these factors have played a part in the numbers,” he said.

Jake Miller, an ocean lifeguard specialist with the department, called the recent weekend’s rescue total “almost a historic number” for the area’s lifeguards. Looking ahead, meteorologist Chris Nunley confirmed that conditions were expected to remain hazardous for beachgoers, with forecasts indicating breaking waves between eight and 12 feet through Monday. Nunley said the powerful swell was generated by Hurricane Genevieve’s long-period southerly waves reaching the Southern California coast.

Authorities continue to urge swimmers and surfers to exercise caution amid the challenging surf environment and to heed lifeguard warnings to ensure safety.