Kai Bond Promoted to Laguna Beach Marine Safety Chief
Marine Safety Chief Kevin Snow has announced he will retire next month after serving 44 years with the Laguna Beach Marine Safety Department.
Snow is officially set to leave his post on Aug. 18.
Laguna Beach Marine Safety Acting Chief and Captain Kai Bond, a 29-year department veteran, will take over Snow’s leadership duties on Aug. 5.
“I am immensely proud of my career with the Marine Safety Department and grateful for the opportunity to serve the Laguna Beach community,” Snow said in a statement. “It’s been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated and professional captains, marine safety officers, and lifeguards. As I retire, I have full confidence in Kai Bond’s ability to lead the department. His extensive experience and unwavering commitment to safety make him the perfect successor.”
Chief Snow started as a rookie ocean lifeguard in 1981 and rose to ocean lifeguard I, II, III/lifeguard supervisor, marine safety officer, marine safety lieutenant and then marine safety captain. In 2009, Snow was promoted to Laguna Beach Marine Safety Chief.
Snow’s career accomplishments include being part of the scoping for Laguna Beach’s Marine Life Protection Act and developing the new lifeguard headquarters on Main Beach. He also helped mitigate several oil spill incidents and supervised beach and ocean protocols during COVID-19. Snow oversaw the south Laguna beach acquisition from the county of Orange as well as the recent reinstatement of the marine safety rescue vessel program, “Wave Watch.”
“Kevin Snow has been an exemplary leader and a cornerstone of our Marine Safety team. His dedication and professionalism have not only safeguarded our beaches but also inspired his team to uphold the highest standards of lifeguarding,” Laguna Beach Mayor Sue Kempf said. “We are immensely grateful for his many years of service and the positive impact he has had on our community. Kevin’s legacy will continue to influence Marine Safety long after his retirement.”
Bond has been involved with the Laguna Beach Lifeguard program since he joined Junior Lifeguards at eight years old. He has held many positions in the department, including rookie ocean lifeguard, seasonal ocean lifeguard I, II, and III/lifeguard supervisor, marine safety officer, marine safety lieutenant, marine safety captain, and acting marine safety chief. Bond holds a bachelor’s degree from California State University Long Beach. He grew up in Laguna Beach and lives in Laguna Hills with his wife Tanya and two daughters.
“I am deeply honored to be appointed as marine safety chief and to continue serving the Laguna Beach community,” Bond said. “The last 30 years with the marine safety department have been incredibly rewarding, and I am committed to upholding the high standards of safety and service that our team is known for,” Bond stated. “I look forward to leading our dedicated lifeguards and ensuring that our beaches remain safe and welcoming for all visitors. Chief Snow has been an incredible leader and a mentor, and we have greatly benefitted from his leadership over the last 40-plus years.”
The Laguna Beach Marine Safety Department protects more than 6,000,000 beach visitors annually along seven-and-a-half miles of the city’s coastline and is one of the largest marine safety departments in California.
LA Times March 1995
Mike Dwinell worked for the department for nearly 27 years and was one of only three full-time Laguna Beach city lifeguards.
Seasonal lifeguard Kevin Snow applauded Dwinell’s decision.
“It’s good for the city, it’s good for the lifeguard department, it’s good for the public and it’s good for Mike,” Snow said. “We will be able to rebuild morale.”
Here we are in 2024. Same situation. Same person, different perspective now. Full circle.
Mr. Smith:
Mike Dwinell was Chief for a very brief period back around the mid-90s, if memory serves.
If you’re implying what I think you are, that Kevin’s “perspective” is different today, from what exactly?
MD’s watch didn’t last long due to a lack of confidence by the other guards (this includes seasonals) in his leadership skills…..it did cause a minor “kerfuffle,” some discord aired publicly, but I think resulted in Mark Klosterman’s promotion to Chief.
Which lasted some 15 years or so—-ending a stellar term of service by Mark btw.
If what you’re implying, albeit thinly veiled, is that Kevin’s somehow being hypocritical, he only noted what was openly discussed: Any chief, of any tribe, must be a morale-builder, a beacon and role model.
I’m sorry to have to pict this out, I’m not trying to dredge up or open old wounds, but knowing the guards they face the future, not the past as you’ve done.
As a personal friend of Dean Westgaard, having had the pleasure of being his handball partner at OCC, the honorable traditions established by people like Dean live on.
I’m not sure what’s gained by this sort of revisiting regarding Kevin or the department.
Roger E. Bütow
52-year resident
Former Long Beach Junior Lifeguard circa 1962-64