**TO THE RESCUE.** When he spotted a swimmer in trouble in the water and no DCR lifeguards in sight, Northeast Surf Camp’s Matthew Lees jumped into the water and helped get her safely to shore. [Courtesy photo]

By Carol Britton Meyer

An employee of a surfing camp pulled a struggling swimmer from the ocean last week in a section of the beach that was “unguarded” due to a lack of personnel, according to a witness and the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.

During camp operated by Northeast Surfing on Aug. 31, owner Ronnie Lees and others on the beach noticed a woman drifting out to sea at about 11 a.m., “with people screaming,” he recently recounted to The Hull Times.

According to Lees, his 19-year-old son, Matthew – an aquatic first responder certified by the American Lifeguard Association – was working at the surf camp along the Hull Redevelopment Authority stretch of beach that morning. He grabbed a surfboard paddle and headed into the rip current to try to save the woman’s life.

“The woman was one breath away from drowning and had swallowed a lot of water,” Lees said.

When Matthew reached the woman, “she was barely breathing and was on her last breath,” Lees recalled. “He was able to get her onto the surfboard paddle parallel with the beach and got her to safety. Someone had called 911, and the Hull fire and police departments arrived at the scene. The woman was complaining of cramps and other medical issues.”

Once emergency personnel arrived, the Northeast Surfing staff got out of the way. Around the same time, Lees reported, DCR lifeguards showed up in “a small golf cart-type vehicle” to assist the woman.

DCR Deputy Communications Director/Press Secretary Ilyse Wolberg said the DCR’s lifeguard services at Nantasket Beach began for the season on May 28 and ended on Labor Day, Sept. 5.

“Lifeguards remained on duty at the beach throughout the end of August. However, due to some guards returning to school and other various obligations, lifeguards were stationed at the center of the beach near the main bath house to serve the highest concentration of visitors,” Wolberg told the Times. “On August 31, 2022, a member of the public alerted Nantasket Beach lifeguards of an incident when another visitor was struggling in the water at an unguarded area. Once lifeguards arrived on scene the swimmer was out of the water and refused further care.”

According to Town Manager Philip Lemnios, the area where the incident occurred is under the control of the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

“The lifeguards, their schedule, and presence are also under the control of the DCR,” he said.

Hull Police Chief John Dunn suggested that the newspaper contact the harbormaster and the fire department for information about the incident “as they are the primary agencies for this.”

Harbormaster Kurt Bornheim told the Times that he was dispatched for that call and was on his way to the front beach “when the person was pulled from the water. I [then] returned to the harbormaster dock at Steamboat Wharf.”

Hull Deputy Fire Chief William Frazier said his department responded to the Cook Bathhouse at about 11 a.m., and crews reported that “all parties were safely on the shore and were denying the need for medical treatment.”

“There haven’t been any lifeguards down this side of the beach for a while,” Lees told the Times on the day of the incident. He said that this was not the first time Northeast Surfing staff assisted swimmers who were struggling in that area when there were no lifeguards, “but today was more serious.”

He noted that his company had three lifeguards, and another surf camp operating at the beach had one lifeguard on the beach that day, “all private.”

Lees noted that his son didn’t hesitate “for one second” when he saw the woman struggling.

“He just ran in,” he said, noting that with his son’s experience with surf camps that provide ocean safety classes and explain how to deal with rip currents, he knew “exactly what to do.”

Wolberg said that “when lifeguards aren’t on duty at a particular station, such as at less popular areas away from the center of the beach, proper signage is posted to inform visitors.

“Furthermore, DCR utilizes a flag system at its designated swimming locations, including Nantasket Beach, to inform visitors of abnormal water conditions, such as water quality information, marine life in the area, and hazardous surf conditions,” she added. “Also, if waters become too hazardous, the agency will close the water to swimming until conditions subside.”