A crowd lining the Newport Pier and the sandy beach erupted in cheers, welcoming the nearly 100 paddlers who showed up exhausted, yet fulfilled, after their 30-mile journey at sea.
The Ben Did Go 9.0 Catalina Crossing on Saturday, Sept. 14, raised a record $230,000, funds that will go toward scholarships, water safety and lifeguarding services at beaches near and far.
The event is held in honor of Ben Carlson, a Newport Beach lifeguard who died 10 years ago during a rescue south of the Newport Beach Pier. He was able to get the distressed swimmer to the rescue boat, but the longtime lifeguard then disappeared under the wild waves of a big swell.
Since Carlson’s death, the city has honored his legacy in many ways, including with a statue that stands looking out toward the water and dedicating the lifeguard headquarters at the pier in his name.
A year after his death, good friend Spencer Pirdy set out to do a fundraising event in Carlson’s honor, the number of participants and funds raised for the Ben Carlson Memorial and Scholarship Foundation, a nonprofit formed by friends, family and fellow lifeguards, increasing with the paddle each year.
About 90 paddlers crossed the Catalina Channel on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 as part of the “Ben Did Go 9.0” fundraising effort, which raised about $230,000 to go to the Ben Carlson Memorial and Scholarship Foundation. (Photo courtesy of Mark Schulein)
The 30-mile paddle starts at White’s Cove in Catalina before sunlight and ends at the silver statue of Carlson near the Newport Pier.
It took about 8 hours for most to finish the paddle, the group arriving just after 2 p.m., Pirdy said.
Each year, there’s something that stands out about the race, whether it’s a whale breaching or dolphins joining the group. This year, the moment that stood out was the outpouring of support as the paddlers reached the shore, he said.
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“There were 10 times the amount of people I’ve ever seen at the finish,” Pirdy said. “There were people all lined up and down the pier, families, loved ones and friends.
“It was insane,” he said. “You couldn’t help but get emotional.”
Lifeguard boats blasted their horns and lights as those waiting cheered. One young lifeguard who did the event for the second year was so overcome with emotion, tears rolled down his face, Pirdy said.
“That embodies what it’s all about. We do something hard, but we do it as a group, we get through it together, just as our community got through a very tough loss with the death of Ben Carlson. Ten years later, we look at how far we have come as a community, how far our foundation has come and the water safety initiatives all around the world,” said Pirdy, who is also a board member. “It’s just such a beautiful thing.”
This year’s donations tipped total funds raised over the nine years to more than $1 million, a major milestone for the paddle effort.
Many of the paddlers never met Carlson, Pirdy noted, but “they carry on his legacy with what they’ve achieved through the fundraising for the foundation.”
The Ben Carlson Foundation provides thousands of dollars in college scholarships each year, handing out financial assistance to lifeguard recipients who show leadership and academic excellence and a passion for lifesaving similar to Carlson’s.
The foundation also supports an international resource program with equipment such as buoys and fins and demonstrations donated to underprivileged communities.
For more information, go to bencarlsonfoundation.org
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