Russell D. Walker was the first Black lifeguard of L.A. County. In an urge to see more diversity among ocean lifeguards, he created the W.A.T.E.R. program to teach youth swimming and water safety.
The Department of Beaches and Harbors continues to offer this program to youth. The W.A.T.E.R. program was created in 1986, according to L.A. County Beaches and Harbors community and marketing services overseer Catrina Love.
“At the time, W.A.T.E.R. stood for water awareness, training, education, and recruitment because of him trying to look for more candidates for the ocean lifeguard position,” Love said. “But currently, the ‘R’ stands for recreation.”
The program addresses the disparities of Black youth and swimming. According to a study by the USA Swimming Foundation, 60 percent of Black children do not know how to swim.
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The W.A.T.E.R. program is focused on youth with special needs, mobility issues, from marginalized communities, or who are in the system.
“We have skilled L.A. County lifeguards that serve as instructors for the program, they do in-water activities with them,” Love said. “They do this in the Marina Del Rey harbor and along the L.A. County beaches.”
Youth get to try out boogie boarding, kayaking, surfing, and sailing. They also learn about how to respond when in a rip current, CPR first aid, job opportunities, and dealing with sting rays.
“They do a rescue demonstration, so they really get a well-rounded view of being in an ocean environment but feeling comfortable and enjoying themselves,” Love said.
L.A. County provides lunch and transportation to the sessions. The W.A.T.E.R. program provides free programming to community organizations and public schools.
Second District Supervisor Holly Mitchell partnered with the Department of Beaches and Harbors to create the Marina Del Rey (MdR) For All initiative. The goal of MdR For All is to make Marina Del Rey more inclusive and accessible to Angelinos, visitors and businesses.
“We want people to know that this is your Marina,” Love said. “If you want to rent a kayak, you can do that … If you want to ride a bike and go up and down the bike path, you can definitely do that.”
Marina Del Rey hosts several events throughout the year, including concerts, youth activities, movie nights, and more.
For more information about the Department of Beaches and Harbors, please visit https://beaches.lacounty.gov/. To learn more about MdR For All, visit https://www.mdr4all.org/.