Venice restaurants to receive beverage coasters promoting rip current awareness

To promote ocean safety and remind beachgoers of the dangers of rip currents, the Los Angeles County Surf Life Saving Association (LACoSLSA) has created an awareness campaign targeting local restaurants.

The organization will be distributing 20,000 drink coasters to restaurants throughout the beach cities of Los Angeles County during the months of August and September. The coasters provide education on how swimmers can safely escape from a rip current.

Among the Venice establishments: The Whaler and On The Waterfront Cafe. Other local restaurants include Patrick’s Roadhouse, O’Brien’s, The Galley, Finn McCools, and Moonshadows.

“This summer, in particular, we’ve all become aware of how treacherous the ocean can be at times,” says Chris Linkletter, President of the LACoSLSA. “These coasters provide important information that beachgoers can use to ensure they have a safe day at the beach.”

The campaign, a co-branding effort between Spy Optic and the LACoSLSA, marks the first community outreach by the newly formed LACoSLSA.

It is expected to be the first of many such agreements with local businesses to promote open water safety education.

More than 20,000 coasters will be distributed to restaurants from Coral Cantina and Duke’s in Malibu to Captain Kidd’s and all the Hennessey’s Taverns, and numerous restaurants throughout the areas of Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey and El Segundo.

The list of participating restaurants continues to grow. Additionally, each lifeguard tower in the County and each section headquarters will receive the coasters with the public service message.

“We are delighted that Spy Optic is collaborating with the Los Angeles County Surf Life Saving Association to provide important and potentially life saving information to thousands of restaurant patrons,” said Michael Marckx, President/CEO of Carlsbad-based Spy Optic. “It underscores our long tradition of supporting notable community groups, especially those associated with the ocean.”

The original rip current artwork was developed through a Sea Grant project in collaboration with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the USLA (United States Lifesaving Association).

The LACoSLSA is a California public benefit corporation organized in March and created to promote beach and open water safety education for public safety personnel. It will also support programs, events and initiatives that foster public safety awareness in open water environments.

Every dollar donated to, or raised by, the LACoSLSA is used to support Junior Lifeguard programs, for the purchase of training equipment and maintenance, and to create and distribute open water safety educational materials aimed at the public, beachgoers and public safety personnel.