Meet California’s First Female
Beach Lifeguard, OG Outdoor Lover, Kiane Nowell

1973 was a big year. The Vietnam War ended, Roe v. Wade overturned state bans on abortion, and DJ Kool Herc started looping breaks, giving birth to hip-hop. It was also the year a 5'2", 21-year-old Southern Californian named Kai Nowell (Kiane Nowell), became the first female beach lifeguard to protect the people of Los Angeles. We salute Kai as a trailblazer and OG Outdoor Lover.

When and why did you decide to try out to be an LA lifeguard?
It was 1973, and I was living with my boyfriend Jim, who was an LA lifeguard. Most of our friends were lifeguards, and one day while we were on a swim workout, they said I should try out. I didn’t think much of it, but when the day came, there I was at Venice Beach Lifeguard HQ, standing in the lineup with 200 men… I was the only woman! I came in #43 and enrolled in the six-week rookie school.

How were you received as the only female on the rookie squad?
I was totally accepted by all the other trainees.

Did that change when you graduated and joined the lifeguard service?
The leadership, all male, didn’t know what to do with me. When I was just my boyfriend’s girlfriend, I was welcomed at every HQ. The lieutenants, captains and chief were friendly. But as soon as I became a lifeguard, none of the senior men wanted me on their beach. They had no facilities for a woman—no shower, no changing room, nothing.

On my first day, I was sent to Will Rogers Beach. After my workout, I wanted to shower. I had to call upstairs and say, “I’m going to be in the locker room, so lock the doors.” One time, the lieutenant in charge came by to check on us (even though it was his day off). I was coming out of the shower wrapped in a towel, and there he was. The next day, I was kicked off Will Rogers and written up! That started a pattern—I was sent from beach to beach. Will Rogers, Venice, Topanga, Playa del Rey... I moved from tower to tower, which didn’t happen to any of the guys. I was verbally abused by senior management and written up for things like refusing to cut my hair, wearing a two-piece swimsuit, or pee in a bottle in the tower. I never found a permanent tower to call home.

How did the beachgoers react to a female lifeguard?
The public loved it. People came to my tower all the time, taking pictures and saying, “We’re happy to see you!” I was on the Today Show and in so many newspapers and magazines. I got letters from all over the world saying, “Good for you!” The only ones unhappy were the lieutenants, captains, and chiefs.

1973 was also the year LA prohibited nudism on the beaches. How did that go?
Right! People were smoking dope on the beach and taking their clothes off because there was no ordinance against it. People were free to be... free, until the ordinance came along and stopped all that. Venice was a very friendly beach.

"When I started guarding Venice Beach there was no ordinance banning being nudity…and guys would often come up to my tower naked asking for sunscreen!” 

Why and when did you decide to leave the LA lifeguard service?
I held my ground for three summers. Eventually, I was offered a position in our family business and decided to take on a new challenge.

You recently attended a celebration for the 50th anniversary of female lifeguards and met with many former and current female LA lifeguards. How have things changed since your days in the service?
We talked about personal stuff, like how these girls manage using the bathroom. It’s still wrong what they have to do. There still aren’t adequate facilities. Back then, I’d call and say, “I have to go to the bathroom,” and I’d get a break. These girls don’t get that break.  I told them, “You need to fight for your rights. If you have to go, it takes maybe 15 minutes. If there’s one close by, just run there. If not, they should send a truck to pick you up. That’s how it should work.”

What advice would you give a woman who wants to be an LA lifeguard today?
Have a thick skin, stand up for your rights, and always have fun! Oh yes… and wear your Utu sunscreen! That SPF 30 Moisturizer is my favorite.

Photos by Nicolas Ebert