Lifesaving legacy: Film will tell story of Ben Carlson, Newport lifeguard who lost his life during rescue

Skeeter Leeper looks out toward the shores of Newport Beach, where a batch of new lifeguards this summer will watch over the hundreds of thousands of people that flock to the coast as the weather warms.

Some of the younger guards gearing up for their first year with the lifeguard department werent even teenagers when Ben Carlson died during a rescue in big surf four years ago this summer.

The crop of rookie guards will never know, or get to train under, Carlson, who was memorialized with a saluting statue just a short distance from where lifeguards frantically scoured the sea for his body after he disappeared in the rough waters on July 6, 2014.

And thats why Carlsons story – how he and other lifeguards are part of the water they protect and love so much – needs to be told, said a pair of filmmakers who will continue filming this summer on a documentary about the lifeguard and his peers.

This undated photo provided by the Newport Beach Police Department shows Ben Carlson, 32, a Newport Beach lifeguard who drowned while trying to rescue a swimmer off the Southern California beach on Sunday, July 6, 2014. Carlson was pulled from the water by fellow lifeguards following a frantic, three-hour search. The 15-year department veteran went into the water to help a swimmer struggling in the water when they were hit by a large wave. (AP Photo/Newport Beach Police Department)
Tim Burnham, left, of Newport Beach and co-director; Skeeter Leeper, center, a Newport Beach lifeguard; and Jack Murgatroyd of Los Angeles and co-director, stand next to the statue of Ben Carlson at the base of the Newport Beach Pier in Newport Beach on Thursday, April 5, 2018. The three are in the process of making a movie to tell the story of Carlson, the first lifeguard in the US to lose his life during the line of duty. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Skeeter Leeper, a Newport Beach lifeguard, talks about an upcoming movie about Ben Carlson, the first lifeguard in the US to lose his life during the line of duty, in Newport Beach on Thursday, April 5, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Tim Burnham of Newport Beach and co-director, talks about an upcoming movie about Ben Carlson, the first lifeguard in the US to lose his life during the line of duty, in Newport Beach on Thursday, April 5, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Jack Murgatroyd of Los Angeles and co-director, talks about an upcoming movie about Ben Carlson, the first lifeguard in the US to lose his life during the line of duty, in Newport Beach on Thursday, April 5, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The statue of Ben Carlson stands at the base of the Newport Beach Pier in Newport Beach on Friday, April 6, 2018. A movie is in the works to tell the story of Carlson, the first lifeguard in the US to lose his life during the line of duty. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
Tim Burnham, left, of Newport Beach and co-director; Skeeter Leeper, center, a Newport Beach lifeguard; and Jack Murgatroyd of Los Angeles and co-director, stand next to the statue of Ben Carlson at the base of the Newport Beach Pier in Newport Beach on Thursday, April 5, 2018. The three are in the process of making a movie to tell the story of Carlson, the first lifeguard in the US to lose his life during the line of duty. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A messages outside Avilas restaurant in Newport Beach expresses the sadness many are feeling over the death of lifeguard Ben Carlson. Carlson drowned on Sunday while trying to save someone. MINDY SCHAUER,/SCNG

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A life lived for water[hhmc]

Carlson wasnt raised at the beach, hailing instead from the drier Rancho Cucamonga about an hour inland from Newport Beach. But when he found his passion for lifeguarding, there was no stopping Carlson from being one of the hardest working guards on the beach.

“There was this whole crew of guys from Rancho that started lifeguarding, they were easy pickings to make fun of, in a fun way,” said Leeper, four years Carlsons elder. “He proved himself, the guys a stud. He played water polo in college, he could kick anyones butt in the pool or ocean. I had an edge on him surfing-wise, then he started getting better than me … then we had a rivalry.”

The two became close friends, then roommates, spending hours on the computer searching for big-wave surf spots in Mexico to discover.

“We were in our 20s and we had nothing to do but track swells. Wed book a plane ticket, sometimes with just a couple days notice,” Leeper said.

When back in Newport and on the job, Carlson took on a leadership role training incoming guards.

“He never cut any slack on them,” Leeper said. “He didnt give the younger guys a lot of room for error.”

Carlson knew just how hard the job was – and how much was at stake when it came to dangerous ocean conditions.

Carlson had also picked up a surf sponsorship with the clothing company Tavik, and Newport native Tim Burnham was one of his team managers. The two stayed friends, Burnham popping into Malarkys Irish Pub, where Carlson for years had a side gig as a bartender, to swap stories about surf adventures.

“He was always smiling, always passionate about the ocean,” Burnham said. “Every time I saw him, it was a new story about surfing somewhere, a new trip. I always looked forward to hearing his stories.”

But the story that he didnt want to hear – the one none was prepared for – was the one that made headlines around the world: Carlson was the first lifeguard in the United States to die in the line of duty.

It was days after his 32nd birthday, when the coast was hit by a massive hurricane swell. Carlson jumped off the lifeguard rescue boat into 15-foot surf for a rescue just south of the Newport Pier.

The swimmer made it to the boat. Carlson did not.

Lifeguard legacy[hhmc]

Burnham had just released his first film, “Dirty Old Wedge,” a movie that broke Newport Film Festival attendance records as bodysurfers and ocean lovers lined up night after night to watch the documentary of the mutant wave on the big screen.

Someone stopped Burnham in the grocery store after seeing the film.

“They mentioned Ben and how his story needs to be told,” Burnham said.

Burnham brought the idea up to Jack Murgatroyd, a Malibu surfer who co-produced “Dirty Old Wedge.” The pair approached the members of the Ben Carlson Memorial and Scholarship Foundation, which includes Leeper and Carlsons dad, Chris, for blessing.

“It was a no-brainer,” Leeper said. “Part of the foundations mission is to remember and promote the legacy of Ben Carlson.”

Murgatroyd, who never met Carlson, said he was intrigued by the lifeguards story and how it would relate to anyone, in or out of the water.

“I think he has a story of an outsider trying to find his way into the world he deserves to be a part of,” Murgatroyd said. “I think thats something people can connect with on a universal level.”

The film, called “Part of Water,” will go beyond Carlsons life to explore the untold story of lifeguarding.

“The backstory, and an important story to tell, is that of lifeguards in general and how they havent gotten the respect they deserve in terms of civil services, when compared to cops or firefighters or paramedics,” Murgatroyd said. “So we felt that telling his story, and the story of lifeguards in general, was powerful.”

Not just Baywatch[hhmc]

The film-making duo started on the documentary in January 2017, and with some financial help from the foundation, have already shot hours of footage with Carlsons friends and family. But no big swells showed up last summer for all the shots that are needed of lifeguards at work.

“Unfortunately it was a slow summer, lacking swell, so this summer were hoping to get more action from the lifeguards,” Burnham said.

They are also hoping to film in Mexico, at one of Carlsons favorite surf spot, before starting the post-production and editing process.

The filmmakers launched an online fundraiser Tuesday, with a goal of $25,000, and have released a trailer for “Part of Water.” They hope to release the movie by next year, either at the Newport Beach Film Festival or around the five-year anniversary of Carlsons death.

Theres only one other film they could name that gives a look at the inner workings of lifeguards.

“Baywatch,” Leeper said with a smirk. “We have Baywatch.”

Burnham said he hopes “Part of Water” can give a real look into how dangerous this job is, to wipe away the stigma that lifeguards are just hanging out on the beach, soaking up a tan.

“Bens accident was a wake-up call to the community. What these guy do, and the fact that theres only been one tragedy in the world of lifeguarding, says a lot about how good these guys really are,” he said.

Jeanne Blackburn, who grew up in Newport Beach and was visiting from Seattle with family on a recent day, stopped by Carlsons statue to read a plaque that told his life story. She said she remembered when she was a kid, and was rescued by lifeguards. She hopes a film would shine a light on what lifeguards face on the job.

“I think lifeguarding is admirable career,” she said. “Ive been rescued a couple times myself as a kid out there.”

Bens father, Chris Carlson, is featured in the trailer.

“If it had to happen,” he says, “if you were forced into losing a child, I couldnt be more proud of how Ben lost his life.”

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