Paddle with the mayor

First developed in the 1880s and incorporated on July 18, 1956, Imperial Beach became the tenth city in San Diego County. The I.B. Pier was originally built around 1909; one purpose was to attract crowds, the other to provide electricity. A wave-powered generator was installed at the end of the pier, but it didn’t work well enough and was hauled off. The wooden pier weathered away and was destroyed during a storm in 1948.

In 1963, a new 1500-foot pier was constructed. The 1963 pier was destroyed in the 1980s. The current pier was built in 1989 and remodeled in 2009.

Beachgoers of the early 1900s didn’t spend much time in the water further than waist deep. Ropes used to run down the sand and into the water so folks could hang on and cool off safely. From 1941 until Imperial Beach’s incorporation, water safety and rescues fell to the San Diego city lifeguards. One of San Diego’s early lifeguards and one of the first to surf the Tijuana Sloughs, Allen Dempsey Holder, oversaw the new lifeguard department in Imperial Beach.

In honor of the city’s birthday, Imperial Beach mayor Serge Dedina is holding a “Mayor’s Pier Swim & Paddle” at 9:00 a.m., Friday, July 17. Weather permitting, participants will be swimming or paddling around the pier with the mayor. Strong ocean swimming or paddling experience is recommended to participate. The swim and following breakfast are free. Spectators are welcome.

Participants need register at: imperialbeachca.gov or at 8:30 before the event at the Dempsey Holder Safety Center at 950 Ocean Lane.