Tom Wetzel has been teaching scuba diving for many years. Students start out in the pool, and when they're ready for the ocean they dive in Redondo Beach. The reason?
"It's the safest place around," Wetzel said.
With the Palos Verdes Peninsula acting as a wave breaker, the water is calmer south of the pier than elsewhere. In addition, the Redondo Beach Police Department's Pier Sub Station is located a block away at the mouth of the pier, and Fire Station One is located two blocks away at Pearl Street and South Broadway.
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Besides the L.A. County lifeguards responding to calls with a boat of their own, Redondo Beach Harbor Patrol, a division of the fire department, also has a rescue boat staffed with two emergency medical technicians, said Harbor Patrol Sgt. Kelly Banach.
And this morning, when the water was calm enough that the high school surfing competition in Hermosa was cancelled, the conditions were nearly perfect for diving.