Lifeguards, surfers save swimmers in rough seas

A woman standing on the jetty at Lincoln Boulevard beach, reportedly taking photos, was caught by a wave, pulled into the water and slammed into the jetty just before 9 a.m. on Sunday, a witness and another person with knowledge of the incident told the Herald.

Nearby surfers and other beachgoers rescued the woman, Robin Cembalest, from the water. She was put on a backboard and taken to a nearby hospital.

“There were some heroes out there,” said Angela Marshall, who witnessed the rescue. “I don’t know who they were, but she’d be dead now without them.”

Lifeguards were not on duty Sunday or Monday, after Governor Cuomo ordered the closure of all Long Island beaches to swimmers as Tropical Storm Hermine barreled north toward the East Coast and generated rough surf and powerful rip currents.

Five water rescues were made during the Labor Day weekend, according to Paul Gillespie, Long Beach’s chief of lifeguards, and all involved  non-residents — visitors from Brooklyn, Hempstead and other places, he added. Though swimmers were not allowed in the water, the city kept the beaches open for surfers, unlike New York City, which ticketed those who tried to catch some waves. 

“… I feel the need to point out that the city of Long Beach (and the town of Hempstead) both handled this weather event perfectly,” Unsound Surf wrote on its Facebook page. “They sent out general warnings to all the residents based [on] fact, not hype. They shut the beaches to swimmers, had lifeguards patrol the beach to make sure everyone was safe and they let the surfers enjoy the swell of the year.”

Surfers helped lifeguards with some of the rescues, and have always been good about aiding them in the past, Gillespie said — sometimes even when the patrol is not on duty.

“Nobody was in harm’s way as far as getting hurt or [drowning] or anything like that, so it was a good weekend,” Gillespie said. “Believe me, the waves were big and the rip currents were very bad.”

This was the 12th straight year in which no swimmers died while the patrol was on duty, Gillespie told the Herald, though two people have drowned in the past year while the lifeguards were off duty, including a Brooklyn man near Edwards Boulevard last month. City Manager Jack Schnirman said at Tuesday’s City Council meeting that 432 swimmer assists were made this summer in Long Beach, along with 55 water rescues and 17 Jet Ski saves. 

“We would like to commend everyone who worked for the city over the past few months on a job well done this summer,” Schnirman said. “I’d like to thank the Long Beach lifeguard patrol and Chief Paul Gillespie for their dedication and hard work.”