When Cody is driving on the beach in a lifeguard truck, he suddenly sees a huge hole in the sand. He alerts Mitch over the radio. When Mitch arrives, he tells everyone of the Santa Ana syndrome. It's a warm wind that comes in from the desert and it bring all weirdoes down to the beach. Mitch calls the county and lets someone fill up the hole with new sand. Max from the county arrives in his tractor. He tells Cody that the lifeguards get all the credit for everything that happens on the beach. Nobody cares about the guy watching the sand.
This long-running series follows the adventures of a team of lifeguards on the crowded beaches of Los Angeles County. Veteran lifeguard Mitch Buchannon watches over the younger lifeguards that come and go with each passing season as they keep the beaches safe for vacationers. Frequently he must take action to save them from the raging seas and from the raging tempers that sometimes flare up between the young guards in this stressful job.