SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Cloudy skies and cool temperatures did not keep thousands of beachgoers away from San Diego County's coastline this Memorial Day. Lifeguards increased their presence across the beaches and urged visitors to stay safe in the water.
Lt. Charles Knight of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said the weather had some effect on crowd sizes compared to the weekend's start.
"Saturday we saw some really nice weather and we were pretty active, yesterday the clouds rolled in and it started to slow down for us a little bit as well as today as you can see its a little bit dark, cold and windy," Knight said.
Despite the conditions, beachgoers were still making the most of the long holiday weekend. For lifeguards, Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer — meaning an increase in visitors and an increase in staffing.
"Most of our towers are open; we added about 60 seasonal lifeguards to our weekend staffing, and then our official summer will start this Thursday, where every single tower will be staffed by our seasonal lifeguards," Knight said.
Lifeguards said they saw their most activity during spring break, with record rescues and record stingray injuries. Knight said that experience has made them more prepared for Memorial Day and the summer months ahead.
"We are definitely prepared for all the worst-case scenarios, we have all the staffing we need, we're predicting the water to stay warm, and so we are ready to go," Knight said.
Officials are also sharing safety reminders for anyone heading into the water.
"Rip currents can pop up at any moment, so we ask that people know their limits, that they contact a lifeguard before getting in the water, and always swim in front of a lifeguard tower and stay where you can touch at all times," Knight said.
Many beachgoers said they came out to be outside at the beach instead of staying inside, overcast skies and all.
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