It’s amazing to think that a skilled multi-decade local surfer isn’t qualified to be a lifeguard on a local beach. That’s the conclusion that the city of Clearwater has made. I applied to lifeguard in Clearwater. I was told by lifeguards that they need people. I just wanted to do it for fun. Apparently I’m not qualified because I don’t have some sort of qualification training that you get in an office somewhere. Seems rediculous to me. It’s not like I wasn’t willing to get it. It’s more that I didn’t even get a call from someone saying, we would like you to lifeguard, we just need you to get a cpr class. Apparently people who know the coast, the gulf, the weather patterns, the tides and currents, and the people on the beach isn’t enough for someone to even call you back when you express interest in being a lifeguard, a job that there’s a shortage of. It’s absurd the way the world works. The reason for all this is complicated. I think greed is probably the best explanation.