Nearly 1 Million Visitors Hit San Diego Beaches This Weekend

Nearly a million San Diegans and visitors flocked to the city's beaches over the long Fourth of July weekend, which is typically the busiest of the year.

The crowds kept lifeguards busy. San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Lee Swanson said lifeguards made 468 rescues over the three-day weekend, nearly 250 on Friday.

Friday also saw the highest attendance at the beaches—459,600 visitors—along with the most requests for medical aid at 182 and preventative actions taken by lifeguards at 5,745, according to Swanson.

Saturday's beach attendance was about 275,000 and authorities conducted nearly 2,000 preventative measures, 107 rescues and responded to 128 medical aid calls. Around 219,000 beachgoers were counted on Sunday, along with 2,424 preventative acts, 123 rescues and 102 medical aid calls, according to Swanson.

During last year's Independence Day holiday weekend, more than 1 million people flooded city beaches and 423 rescues were made, authorities said.

—City News Service