Huntington State Beach

Huntington State Beach is a protected beach in Southern California, located in the City of Huntington Beach in Orange County. It extends 2 miles (3.2 km) from Newport Beach (Santa Ana River) north to Beach Boulevard, where the Huntington City Beach begins. The 121-acre (49 ha) park was established in 1942.

This beach is a popular destination for many beach enthusiasts. This beach has moderate to good surf, fishing, volleyball courts, basketball courts, bathrooms, and fire-rings for bonfires. Lifeguard Services at Huntington State Beach are provided by the California State Parks Lifeguard Service. Lifeguards patrol the beach year-round while lifeguard towers are staffed roughly Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

The beach also provides a nesting sanctuary for California least terns, an endangered subspecies, and snowy plovers, a threatened species on the West Coast.

Huntington State Beach is the location for California State Lifeguard Training.

1938 Doheny, San Clemente State Beaches have lifeguard services provided by county of Orange.

1950 State begins development and operation of Huntington State Beach. Division of Beaches and Parks explores concept of contracting lifeguard service at the newly developed park but elects to start own service after consulting with lifeguard services up and down the coast. Robert Isenor, a former Newport City Lifeguard is hired as a seasonal employee to develop the first State Lifeguard program. He hired 17 seasonal lifeguards, who worked out of ten towers with no phones or radios and were supported by one jeep. State Lifeguards performed 27 swimmer rescues that first summer. Beach attendance was 211,000 that year.

1951 Silver Strand State Beach is opened and Isenor coordinates hiring of seasonal lifeguards for this operation.

1952 San Clemente State Beach is now guarded by two seasonal lifeguards. First use of mobile radio at Huntington.