It's Not Really a Day at the Beach

Name: Pepper Lang

Job: Coronado lifeguard (acting sergeant) 

Duties: He’s been a lifeguard for close to 10 years, the past eight in Coronado after starting at Silver Strand State Beach. “It’s always something,” Lang, 28, says of his job, a constant stream of multitasking.

Shifts include observation duties from the main, three-story tower at Coronado beach and coordinating lifeguard coverage of all men and women on duty. From the tower, he can scan the beach, spot shifting riptides (the color of the water subtly changes) and communicate with guards in the smaller blue towers all along the beach. Riptides are the biggest concern, and keeping swimmers out of dangerous areas.

Rescue is what lifeguards are known for, but prevention is their focus. “Police and fire, they’re responsive,” he says. “They’re sent to help. Lifeguards are specifically preventative.” On one recent afternoon, he also dealt with a swimmer stung by a stingray, the rescue of an injured pelican, a bodyboarder asked to leave a dangerous spot and a report of a child who’d wandered off. He’s also a certified EMT and diver.

How he started: He “stumbled into it” after a friend started lifeguarding. “Oh, my gosh,” he says, “they got paid for doing what I liked to do.”

The stereotype: Yeah, he’s fit and spends his days at the beach, but he’s constantly busy and vigilant, and says lifeguards aren’t “beach boys without shirts.” “The classic is David Hasselhoff jokes,” he says. “I’ve heard every single one of them.”

Away from work: He loves to be in the water, even on his days off, surfing or swimming. Lang, a Point Loma Nazarene University grad, and his wife, Kathryn, just bought a house in North Park.

About that name: His full name is William Pepperday Lang (Pepperday is a family name), but he’s gone by Pepper for as long as he can remember.

Quotable: “Even the best swimmers can be humbled,” he says. “Our bodies are so fragile.”

Quotable II: “There’s nothing like safely handing over a 6-year-old back to his parents after pulling him out of the water,” he says. “That’s very satisfying.”

This is the first installment of a biweekly column focusing on the people you see on the job in Coronado. If there's someone you've encountered you think does a great job, and you want to know more about that person, let Doug Williams know, at iamdougwilliams@gmail.com