Watermen Lifeguard Ambassador Series: David McKeeman (19), San Diego
Welcome to the Watermen Lifeguard Ambassador Series. This weeks featured Ambassador is San Diego California State Parks Lifeguard, David McKeeman. We had a chance to interview David about his team taking gold while breaking the course record for the California Gold endurance race, training routine, heroic rescues, and favorite equipment. Read his interview below:
Hobbies?
My favorite pastime activities include long ocean paddles, spearfishing, surfing as many breaks as possible, eating good food with my family, and going on great adventures with my close friends such as backpacking Mt. Whitney.
Any Highlights From the Past Year?
The major events that stood out to me in recent years have all stemmed from surf racing.
A moment I will never forget was when my USA Under-19 National Team overtook South Africa in the rescue relay race to take gold at the International Surf Rescue Challenge in South Padre Island, Texas.
My Australian tour with California Surf Lifesaving was also an unforgettable experience. I competed against the best in the world during the Summer of Surf series. Surf lifesaving—also known as surf racing—is such a major part of Australian culture, compared to back home where hardly anyone outside the lifeguard community even knows the sport exists. It was surreal to compete in that environment, representing the West Coast on such a big stage.
My team and I competed in many different events, where I took on the beach discipline of beach flags and the 90-meter sprint. We also participated in a generational relay against the Bondi Rescue lifeguards, showcasing our skills and continuing a long-standing tradition of mutual respect between our agencies across the globe.
Another highlight was competing in the Open Men’s Beach Flags Final during the 2024 National Surf Lifesaving Championships. I was the only West Coast athlete (Cal State) in the final, and it felt like I had the entire West Coast behind me. I pushed through the rounds, finishing fifth overall out of sixteen.
Most recently, I competed in the California Gold Endurance Relay Race, where our team—Sea Stars—took gold and broke the course record. I ran the eight-mile stretch from Balboa Pier to Huntington Pier, a leg that was vastly different from my usual fast, short interval races. My teammates had made great progress, but I still had the challenge of making up a four-minute deficit. Running on soft sand along a slanted berm tested me in every way, but I managed to take the lead, and the rest was history. The race was grueling physically and even more exhausting mentally, but everything I’ve learned from races around the world contributed to that performance. I couldn’t have been happier with the outcome.
Any Big Rescues or Emergencies?
I once rescued a twelve year old kid five feet from the shore. This may not sound like a Ed Vadazka rescue but it did to the kid I saved. I was in my tower surveying and saw a kid struggling five feet from the shore. Knew there was a very low tide that day, the drop off of the beach would be closer to the shore than it usually is located. I call my unit informing them of the current situation. Then grab my buoy and fins and race down to the kid.
When I got to him, I saw the face of a little kid who had no idea what he had just gotten himself into. He was climbing the ladder reaching for the surface. I took a few steps into the knee high water to hand him my buoy and pull him out. I then educated him on why that situation occurred. He was petrified knowing he almost drowned five feet from the shore line. The ocean is a tricky place that is ever so changing. It will be the most merciful element one can experience and the next moment it can be the most unforgiving monster. We must learn to navigate its paths and follow its laws.
What Is Your Training Routine?
Currently, I am UCLA student so I end up training in many different ways while trying to keep it as consistent as possible to accommodate my schedule. I practice my beach flag turns and 90 meter block starts in the beach volleyball courts two times a week. Have a hill running circuit that I complete once a week. My long runs around campus usually fall on Sundays. My resistance training in the gym goes down every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I like to go on distance paddles or get some laps in the pool on Saturdays.
What Is Your Favorite Equipment?
My all time favorite equipment is my buoy for obvious reasons as it helps me perform every rescue with more ease then without my buoy. A close second is the Watermen Reds I wear which have never caused any discomfort and have handled the harsh conditions of the elements while I am on long shifts providing public safety.
What Does Watermen Mean to You?
A Waterman is an individual who pursues the complicated motion of the seas, someone who pushes the known limits of the elements, all while following the laws of the ocean.
Check out David McKeeman on Instagram: radicaldave
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