The mixed-race Hawaiian athlete George Freeth brought surfing to Venice,
California, in 1907. Over the next twelve years, Freeth taught Southern
Californians to surf and swim while creating a modern lifeguard service
that transformed the beach into a destination for fun, leisure, and
excitement. Patrick Moser places Freeth's inspiring life story against
the rise of the Southern California beach culture he helped shape and
define. Freeth made headlines with his rescue of seven fishermen, an act
of heroism that highlighted his innovative lifeguarding techniques. But
he also founded California's first surf club and coached both male and
female athletes, including Olympic swimming champion and "father of
modern surfing" Duke Kahanamoku. Often in financial straits, Freeth
persevered as a teacher and lifeguarding pioneer--building a legacy that
endured long after his death during the 1919 influenza pandemic.
A compelling merger of biography and sports history, Surf and Rescue
brings to light the forgotten figure whose novel way of seeing the beach
sparked the imaginations of people around the world.