A veteran Newport Beach lifeguard died while trying to rescue a swimmer during dangerous water conditions, officials said. Kate Larsen reports from Newport Beach for the NBC4 News at 11 on Sunday, July 6, 2014 (Published Monday, July 7, 2014) 
 
 A veteran Newport Beach lifeguard died while trying to rescue a swimmer in treacherous waters Sunday, fire officials said. 
 
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 Ben Carlson, 32, went missing after jumping into the water about 5 p.m. to rescue a man in distress, Newport Beach fire officials said. Searchers found Carlson about three hours later and rushed him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 
 
 Carlson was a lifeguard of 15 years in Newport Beach, the affluent Orange County city about 42 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. 
 
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 "Ben was a well-respected individual, always a nice guy," said Newport Beach Fire Chief Scott Poster during a press conference. "It's just an utter tragedy to lose a man of that caliber in the water today." 
 
 Carlson's death marks the first time a Newport Beach lifeguard has died in the line of duty in 100 years, Poster said. 
 
 Carlson was attempting to save the swimmer in 6- to 8-foot surf off the coast near 16th Street when the two were hit by a large wave, officials said. More than 25 rescuers went searching for Carlson in the water, with support from those on land and in the air. 
 
 The swimmer made it safely to shore and was not hurt, Poster said. 
 
 Newport Beach officials said 75 to 80 lifeguards on duty made more than 200 rescues Sunday. Thousands more were issued warnings about the strong rip currents. 
 
 Kate Larsen contributed to this report 

 A Newport Beach lifeguard drowned Sunday during a rescue attempt near the city's pier. Officials said it was the first time a city lifeguard had died in the line of duty. 
 
 Ben Carlson, a 15-year veteran Newport Beach lifeguard, was pulled from the ocean by colleagues, officials announced during an evening news conference. They had been frantically searching for him after he disappeared under 10-foot waves while attempting to rescue a swimmer, authorities said. As Carlson, 32, reached the swimmer, both were hit by the waves; the swimmer made it back to shore, but Carlson disappeared. 
 
 The loss shocked the close-knit public safety department in Newport Beach. 
 
 "It's been a very difficult time," said police Sgt. Penny Freeman. 
 
 Newport Beach has experienced dangerous rip currents since Friday, and lifeguards have been busy during the holiday weekend making rescues, Freeman said. There was another near-drowning earlier Sunday, she said. 
 
 NewportBeachLG Ben Carlson, a 15-year veteran Newport Beach lifeguard, drowned Sunday during a rescue attempt near the city's pier. Ben Carlson, a 15-year veteran Newport Beach lifeguard, drowned Sunday during a rescue attempt near the city's pier. (NewportBeachLG) 
 
 Carlson "was in the water to effect a rescue and had some distress at that time," Freeman said. More details will be forthcoming as the investigation into what happened gets underway, she said. 
 
 Newport Beach Fire Chief Scott Post said Carlson entered the water just after 5 p.m. Lifeguards located him about 8 p.m. and delivered him to waiting paramedics on the pier. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. 
 
 It was a tragic ending to what had been a crowded and sunny weekend at one of Southern California's most picturesque coastlines. Twitter quickly filled with condolences. 
 
 Sarah Boone/@SarahOUaL A crowd gathers at the scene of a drowning in Newport Beach. A crowd gathers at the scene of a drowning in Newport Beach. (Sarah Boone/@SarahOUaL) 
 
 "Not the news I was hopeful for,'' tweeted @mollychance. 
 
 Follow me on Twitter at @csaillant2 
 
 
 
 

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 A city lifeguard drowned Sunday while attempting to rescue a swimmer in the waters off Newport Beach, authorities said. 
 
 Ben Carlson, 32, had been a lifeguard for 15 years, according to Chief Scott Poster of the Newport Beach Fire Department. 
 
 The incident began shortly after 5 p.m., when a rescue boat identified a swimmer in distress near 16th street, Poster said at an evening news conference. 
 
 After Carlson entered the water and reached the man, both were struck by a large wave, the Fire Department said. 
 
 Other lifeguards at the scene attempted to assist Carlson, but were unable to immediately find him "because of the turbulent water, and up to 10- to 12-foot surf," Poster said. 
 
 Twenty-five people from multiple local agencies ultimately entered the water to help find Carlson after he went missing, officials said. He was located at 8 p.m. and rushed to paramedics who were waiting on the Newport Pier, then transported to nearby Hoag Hospital. 
 
 The lifeguard was pronounced dead at the hospital. The swimmer, whom Carlson was attempting to assist, survived. 
 
 "It's a brotherhood that's very difficult to describe," Poster said of the lifeguard community. "Unless you do it, you'll never know what it's like." 
 
 Carlson "will be given all the honor and respect that comes with losing a member of that brotherhood," Poster said. 
 
 The 32-year-old is the first Newport Beach lifeguard to die in the line of duty, according to the fire chief. 
 
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 Correction: An earlier version of this story gave the incorrect spelling for the fire chief's last name. The story has been updated.
– A veteran California lifeguard who spent nearly half his life saving swimmers in Newport Beach died yesterday during a rescue attempt. Ben Carlson, 32, who KTLA reports had been a local lifeguard for 15 years, dove into tumultuous 10-foot waves around 5pm to help a man in distress. Carlson reached the swimmer, but a giant wave knocked them both under the water. The swimmer reemerged and made it back to shore; Carlson did not, reports the Los Angeles Times. At least 25 rescuers joined the search for Carlson, which was stymied by surf that Newport Beach Fire Chief Scott Poster said may have measured as high as 12 feet. His body wasn't recovered for three hours, according to local officials, and he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. "It's just an utter tragedy to lose a man of that caliber in the water today," Poster said during a press conference, according to NBC Los Angeles. Poster added that Carlson's death was even more devastating because he was the first Newport Beach lifeguard to die in the line of duty—over a span of time stretching some 100 years. "It’s a brotherhood that’s very difficult to describe," Poster said. Carlson "will be given all the honor and respect that comes with losing a member of that brotherhood." (Also in California, a swimmer was bit by a great white on Saturday.)