Flooding, Injuries and Fun in the Sun Follow Heavy Surf

Seal Beach lifeguards made eight rescues today as swimmers and surfers flocked to the beach to enjoy the warm temperatures and high surf.

The surf wasn't as big as it was Sunday, but it still had enough size to attract plenty of surfers and swimmers, said Seal Beach Lifeguard Chief Joe Bailey.

``The swell definitely peaked around 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon,'' Bailey said, adding sets reached as high as 15 feet that day.``Today, it's been consistently dropping now to three to five feet," Bailey said about 2:45 p.m.

Seal Beach lifeguards rescued eight swimmers in distress by mid-afternoon, he said. One surfer's head slammed into the beach after he went over a wave, and he was taken to a hospital as a precaution, Bailey said.

On Monday, city crews were at work early, resurrecting the sand berm after tearing it down last week. The National Weather Service had forecast heavy surf through tonight, and the city decided to take the precaution after Sunday night’s swells nearly flooded beachfront homes. 

Localized street flooding occurred in Seal Beach on Sunday night due to the high surf, according to police Sgt. Rick Ransdell, though ``the swells were nothing Earth-shattering.''

Ocean water spilled into curbs between 14th Street and where Electric Avenue and Seal Beach Boulevard join together, he said, adding it was at ``curb-height'' through about 7:30 p.m., when the tide was at its highest.

- The City News Service