Young people run into the ocean carrying their blue and yellow rescue boards in the 2022 Junior Lifeguard Competition.
Young people run into the ocean carrying their rescue boards as part of the 2022 Junior Lifeguard Competition. Credit: Courtesy photo

The Junior Lifeguard Fiesta Invitational Competition returns to East Beach, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, July 14, at East Beach, hosted by Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department and Santa Barbara Junior Lifeguards.

The event is expected to draw a large crowd as California agencies from Newport Beach to Santa Cruz go head-to-head in the annual competition.

Youth ages 7-17 will compete in such events as Distance Paddle, Distance Run, Distance Swim, Paddle Relay, Run-Swim-Run, Run Relay, Beach Flags, and Taplin (swim, run, paddle).

The event will include a variety of vendors and educational booths, including Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab to offer information about sharks and beach safety; and Santa Barbara Creeks Division, with activities to learn about the area’s creeks as well as microplastic pollution.

The free event is open to all California Surf Lifesaving Association (CSLSA) and United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) agencies.

The USLA reports more than 50,000 participants in junior lifeguard programs each year. The Santa Barbara Junior Lifeguards program is the area’s longest-running program, operating since 1971, and serves hundreds of local youth each summer.