Due to overcast skies, the number of beachgoers was about half what had been expected over the Independence Day weekend, a San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman said Monday.
An estimated 537,200 people flocked to San Diego-area beaches over the three-day holiday weekend. The Fourth of July was the busiest day, with an estimated 313,000 people at local beaches, and Sunday was the slowest day with 66,300 beachgoers, SDFR's Lee Swanson said.
Lifeguards assisted in 258 medical aid calls and performed 154 water rescues over the three-day period, he said. Last year, San Diego lifeguards performed 468 water rescues during the holiday weekend.
More than 10,000 "preventative acts" were performed by lifeguards over the course of the weekend, Swanson said, such as telling beachgoers the safest areas to swim, places to avoid, beach rules and other advisory actions.
