State Park Peace Officer (Lifeguard)

Department of Parks and Recreation

9/29/2018

Special Service Award (Silver)

On September 29, 2018, State Park Peace Officer Andrew Helble was off duty and diving for lobster on opening day of lobster season in the ocean off Beacon’s Beach with his brother-in-law and a friend on a kayak, when the three friends heard someone scream, “I got bit! I got bit!” They spotted a 13-year-old boy, who had also been diving for lobster, approximately 80 yards away and about 100 yards from shore. The victim saw the kayak group and began swimming toward them. Officer Helble and his brother-in-law swam approximately 60 yards to reach the victim, who covered about 20 yards on his own. Meanwhile, Officer Helble’s friend paddled the kayak over. Upon reaching the victim, Officer Helble observed major traumatic injuries on his face, neck, shoulder and back consistent with a shark attack. He assisted the bloodied teen onto the kayak and stabilized the injured diver on the unsteady and now overloaded single-person kayak while his friend paddled the craft through the surf line to shore. Officer Helble, an emergency medical technician, used his training to stop the life-threatening bleeding and prevent the onset of shock while swimming alongside the kayak. Multiple witnesses reported that the aggressive shark — thought to be a 10- to 12-foot great white — trailed the group as they made their way toward shore. The rescuers reached the beach and were met by Encinitas lifeguards, who had been summoned by multiple 911 calls. Once ashore, Officer Helble assisted the responding on-duty lifeguards with patient care, scene management and landing a medical transport helicopter. One of those 911 callers was the victim’s mother, who was on the beach, heard her son’s screams and witnessed his rescue. Without the assistance of Officer Helble and his friends, the victim’s mother believes her son would have died in the water due to his extensive injuries; he ultimately required over a thousand stitches. His thankful mother said of his rescuers, “It absolutely required courage for them to respond to his call for help and not swim away to save their own lives. And, with the shark still in the area, they risked their lives to save my son. I’ll be forever grateful.” With no regard for his own safety, Officer Helble went above and beyond the call of duty. The State of California takes great pride in presenting the Silver Medal of Valor to Department of Parks and Recreation State Park Peace Officer Andrew Helble.