Get to know our volunteer Taylor Anderson from Lifeguards without Borders!

My name is Taylor Anderson and I am became a lifeguard in 2002 for the American Red Cross Volunteer Life Saving Corps. My friends in high school suggested it and I later learned my uncle had been a lifeguard for the same organization in the 1960’s. The volunteer corps is 101 years old, founded in 1912. I also work as a Lt. for the City of Jacksonville Beach, FL. I am addicted to pre-hospital care and the sense of satisfaction of being able to turn chaos into control.

What is your favorite beach in the world?

Of the beaches I have been to, The Baths in the British Virgin Islands have been my favorite.

Where have you lifeguarded around the world?

I have lifeguarded in Ecuador with Lifeguards Without Boarders during Carnival 2011. We were in Salinas on both the bay and pacific sides, it was truly epic. We worked with the fire department there and in cooperation with Project Ecuador (Paul Dunning). That is the only international work I have done other than Macedonia.

When did you start lifeguarding?

Primarily, I have always been interested in the beach. As a toddler, I would sit on the beach, naked, eating handfuls of sand and was quite content to play in the large sand castles my father would build. As I got older, I began boogie-boarding, body surfing and surfing. My parents also had a Hobie sailboat which I fell in love with and we would spend long days offshore sailing the beach. I was also a boy-scout growing up and camped often, canoed and generally spent a lot of time outside. Most often though, I was on the beach. I graduated high school shortly after becoming a lifeguard and went on to become an EMT in 2005. I worked throughout this time as a lifeguard and soon was an officer. In 2008, I received my paramedic and A.S. in EMS. In 2010, I went to fire college and in 2012 was accepted into the St. John’s County Fire/Rescue Auxiliary. I am working toward a full-time career with St. John’s County at this time and hope to achieve this in the next 2 years.

How did you first get started with ISLA?

I had only briefly heard of ISLA prior to the trip and the level of professionalism that the team members brought to the trip was refreshing. This was my first ISLA trip and I really like how the values I hold in my volunteer corps are reflected in the ISLA standards. I loved working with not only the team but the students.

What was your favorite part of the ISLA trip?

My favorite part has to be the personal connection felt with others when the concepts you are teaching are demonstrated back to you. It is the clearest time you can see the true understanding of a student. That moment is one that drives me to teach and volunteer.

What have you learned from this trip?

During the trip, I learned how easy it is for people to work together toward common goals; despite a significant language barriers!

What is the best beach food?

Best beach food is a cold Corona with a shot of Bacardi Lemon in the neck or frozen margaritas with lots of lime.

Favorite beach music?

If I am working, I like to listen to stand-up comedy but if I am relaxing, I am a big fan of oldies, country and a splash of indie music. If it is a beach party then reggae, old school rap and dubstep all day!

Favorite piece of rescue equipment? And Why?

My favorite piece of basic equipment is a throw rope. It is simple; a bag of rope; but it can be tricky to throw. When thrown well, it is safe and effective. The perfect way to work smarter not harder; even on the beach! Hands-down favorite piece of technical equipment is an IRB. I have worked with both PWC and IRB’s and I love the versatility of an IRB. Easy launching, stable, able to carry a lot of equipment safely (dive gear) and you can do CPR on it effectively. Other than the advantage of PWC’s in heavy surf, the IRB is second only because it’s not as fun to drive. (In my humble opinion)

Describe yourself in 3 words.

Strangely excitable, dedicated

Lifeguards Without Borders:

ISLA is awesome and doing awesome things, but check out my group Lifeguards Without Borders too! We hope to work with ISLA to continue to create drowning prevention programs and further our knowledge of drowning resuscitation.

Learn more about Taylor’s ISLA trip to Macedonia and Europe. View photos from the trip and training course.

We’re looking to add more people to our volunteer team. Are you someone with the desire to travel the world? Someone passionate about helping others? Are you interested in volunteering for an organization that changes the lives of thousands of people around the world?

Apply to join our team of Global Lifeguards and our job opportunities!

Meet our volunteer, Shane Knowles. He’s been a Lifeguard at Huntington State Beach and Bolsa Chica State Beach, CA since 2005.  He’s Junior Lifeguard Instructor. He’s got a BA in Outdoor Recreation Administration from Humboldt State University. And he Love to be in the ocean. He surfs, bodysurfs, dives.  For Shane, “Being active and exploring the outdoors is my life long passion.”
What ISLA trip did you go on?

I was on ISLA mission Semana Santa Nicaragua 2013. Learn more about ISLA’s involvement in Nicaragua.

When did you start lifeguarding?

I was a junior lifeguard as a kid in Long Beach, CA.  My instructors had a big influence in my love of the ocean. My father is an avid diver and sailor so I’ve been around the ocean from a young age.  In high school, my water polo coach was a LG at HSB and recruited my friends and I.

How did you first get started with ISLA?

My Lifeguard friends told me about ISLA and their epic trips lifeguarding around the world.

What interested you most about ISLA?

What makes ISLA great is the opportunity ISLA brings to LGs. Another great aspect about ISLA is being able to travel the world for a good cause to save lives, educate and promote ocean safety, and build great friendships with the amazing people in other countries.

Favorite thing about the ISLA project you were on?

The friendships I built with the Nicaraguan people is my favorite thing about the mission with ISLA.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by the people I interact with everyday.  Everyone has their own story to tell, and it’s exciting to listen to the experiences others have gone through to get to where they are today.

Favorite piece of rescue equipment? 

My Fins are my favorite rescue equipment.  They are very universal. It is very difficult to pull a victim in without fins. Plus, my fins help me to get epic barrels while bodysurfing too.

We’re looking to add more people to our volunteer team. Are you someone with the desire to travel the world? Someone passionate about helping others? Are you interested in volunteering for an organization that changes the lives of thousands of people around the world?

Apply to join our team of Global Lifeguards and our job opportunities!

Our Junior Guard Prep course has come to a close and we couldn’t be happier with the effort our kids put in.  32 children total attended our course. They showed up knowing next to nothing about swimming and after a few lessons these little athletes began to really drop some serious time.  Our goal was to get these kids to swim a hundred yards in one minute fifty seconds. Not an easy task for most people and an extremely difficult time to make if you’re nine. Personally, I couldn’t be more stoked on these little rascals. They came to practice rain or shine and really put forth an effort that they should be proud of.

Putting a child into swim lessons is really the best way to combat drowning. Taking it one step further by getting involved in local aquatic programs like swim teams is truly an amazing thing. Junior lifeguard programs aren’t just summer camps. They are active teaching programs providing kids with invaluable life saving skills. Our goal was to get more kids involved in JG programs as well as give them skills to help them excel once enrolled. Mr. Hyink and myself  (Mr. Eich) really feel like this was a great success. I cant wait for next years course to get started. Have fun this summer kids. You earned it!

-Mr. Eich

This last Wednesday June 5^th, there was a community health fair at the Oak View Preschool in Huntington Beach. There were firefighters, police, nurses, and we are proud to say ISLA lifeguards. We arrived with our table, with our buoys, a stack of stickers, a homemade poster and an extra ration of stoke.

Mr. Eich and myself (Mr. Erwin) took on the crowd, wading the waters of confused-looking kindergarteners meandering from station to station. We pumped up the crowed with our high energy and laid some radical knowledge of hazardous rip currents on them.

Now, we are not above bribing children with stickers and silly games if it means we get a chance to spread the good ISLA word. And the kids definitely appreciated that aspect of ISLA.

We had a blast hanging with these awesome kids. We all come from different walks of life but everybody agrees that they love the beach. Bottom line, ISLA was proud to have a chance to reach out to a new community and Oak View Preschool welcomed us with open arms. Special thanks to Heidi Tucker and the Oak View staff for inviting us and setting up such a cool event. You ladies rock! See you folks at the beach.

-Mr. Erwin

Interested in the wonderful artist who created the Rip Current Painting?

I wanted to wait to write our final blog on our Costa Rican lifeguarding experience until we had come back to the states and got back into guarding our beaches here in the states so we could really get a grasp on the deference in operations and the needs of our friends down south.

After talking with Greg, we both could agree on one thing, how very lucky we are to not only have the resources we have but also the privilege to do what we love and get paid to do it!

When we first met with the Dominical lifeguards we gave them some equipment we had brought (all which had been donated from ISLA), new reds (a term referring to a guards work board shorts), uv protectant waterproof shirts, first aid equipment, and other lifeguarding essentials. As soon as we gave the guards new reds they put them on with smiles no matter if they fit or not. The gratitude the guards showed after receiving just new reds was humbling!

After working and speaking  with the Dominical lifeguards a few things became abundantly clear, they need help in many ways! The guards themselves are extremely competent watermen. They are on the beach and in the water interacting with their community every day. They have a great foundation and passion for what they do, but…. They could use some help!

Help with establishing themselves as a professional organization, recognized by local and regional government bodies, training, ie; first aid, rescue techniques, public education, public relations, preventative actions, and a couple kick in the butt PT’s, help with equipment; uniforms, buoys, first aid equipment (until we gave them ours they had nothing, not even a band aid).

Costa Rica’s number one export is Coffee, but the real “money maker” for the country relays solely on tourism. Unfortunately they publicize their beautiful pristine beaches as a worldwide tourist destination, but don’t publicize the dangers that persist or the fact that drownings are a daily occurrence. I’ve seen firsthand, tourists being bagged and sent back to their respected country’s with nothing being done to help staff/train lifeguards to either put a stop or at least try and prevent future incidents from occurring.

I’m really hoping this trip opens the door for not only Dominical lifeguards but also guards throughout Costa Rica. We need to bring attention and awareness to what is huge (preventable) problem : drownings!

It is of my opinion that, change can and will happen.

I really look forward to future opportunities Lifesaving in Costa Rica ! Pura Vida!

-Noah Sinclair, ISLA volunteer lifeguard

Read more about our Costa Rica Recon Trip.