The Port of San Diego will honor San Diego’s deep ties to the maritime industry this month with a series of events, including free public tours.

Dubbed “Maritime Month,” the Port of San Diego says the educational, month-long celebration is meant to recognize the industry’s role in job creation and economic prosperity in America’s Finest City and to give the public an inside look at what it’s like to work the waterfront.

To that end, two free public bus and four boat tours will take place throughout May with bus tours departing from Pepper Park in National City (3299 Tidelands Ave.) and boat tours departing from Broadway Pier in downtown San Diego (1000 North Harbor Drive).

The Port says the tours will feature detailed narrative on San Diego’s working waterfront including cargo operations, cruise facilities, shipyards, and associated vessels calling on the Port.

The bus tours are set for May 17 and May 24 – both at 10 a.m.

The boat tours are scheduled for May 14 and May 21, with two tours taking place on each of those days. The first boat tour on May 14 boards at 9:30 a.m. and departs at 10 a.m. and the second tour boards at 12:30 p.m. and departs at 1 p.m. The first boat tour on May 21 boards at 10 a.m. and departs a half-hour later, and the second tour boards at 12:30 p.m. and departs at 1 p.m. 

The Port says the theme of Maritime Month is “Ships Bring Prosperity,” which highlights why San Diego Bay’s deep water makes it an ideal location for cargo terminals to import and export goods from around the world.

Common cargo that passes through San Diego includes bananas, automobiles, steel, lumber, cement, soda ash and project components. This type of cargo, according to the Port of San Diego, has significant impact to the region’s economy.

“In San Diego, industrial and maritime commerce and related industries around the Port contribute $3.5 billion to the region’s economy and generate 12,800 waterfront jobs,” the Port said in a press release Tuesday.

Port tenant Pacific Tugboat Service will also sponsor a “Name That Tug” contest for Maritime Month in which four vessels in the company’s fleet will be renamed after local military heroes. The contest is set for May 20 at Cesar Chavez Park and will include 150 local middle school student participants.

Nationally, May 22 is recognized as National Maritime Day, as first declared by the United States Congress in 1933.

To register for a bus or boat tour via the Port, click here.

An officer with the Oceanside Police Department’s Harbor Unit is being hailed a hero for rescuing a group of experienced kayakers from rough waters over the weekend.

In an exclusive interview with NBC 7 Tuesday, a group of San Diego kayakers said they’re alive and well thanks to Oceanside Harbor Officer Dave Cunniff.

On Sunday, Dave Nelson – one of the founders of the Oceanside Outrigger Canoe Club – went out for a recreational paddle with five friends off the waters of Oceanside in north San Diego County.

When the group first paddled out, Nelson said the waves were not very big.

But a short time later a buoy sounded off, meaning a big set was coming.

Nelson said his group tried getting back in the safety of the harbor but things turned scary, quickly.

“We got pushed in at this angle, the wave break-over from behind filled the canoe full of water,” Nelson recounted. “So now were sitting at water level, all six of us in the canoe. And the next wave is coming.”

“I told everybody, ‘Out of the canoe!’” he continued. “And then I reached around trying to pull the canoe straight down the wave so that the wave would pass it. And the first couple of waves, I can do that. And then all the paddlers began to disperse with the riptide.”

Moments later, Oceanside Harbor Police Officer Cunniff – a 14-year veteran of the department – got a call on his radio of a flipped kayak. He picked up two lifeguards en route to the scene.

The officer told NBC 7 he was expecting to see one person, perhaps a fisherman, next to the flipped vessel. However, he said what he encountered was more like a horrifying scene straight out of a movie.

“As we come around the corner, it was something like out of the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movie where you first see where they're coming out of the fog and then all of a sudden there's that big burning ship in debris all over the water. It was something like that,” Cunniff explained. “I see debris all over the water and I just see bodies scattered across the entire harbor entrance.”

At that moment, Cunniff said 12-foot surf was pounding the area but he was determined to make his way through the waves to get to the kayakers.

He and the lifeguards began pulling the kayakers onto the boat but the choppy conditions proved extremely challenging.

In the middle of the rescue, just as another big wave came crashing down, the engine on Cunniff’s boat died. The officer quickly fired up another engine and got his boat over the wave.

At that moment, Nelson said the officer’s boat felt as if it was completely upright in the water.

The kayakers, now in Cunniff’s boat, were terrified. The officer reassured them they would make it out alive.

“I said, ‘Hey, it’s going to be okay. I promise you, you’re going to be alright,’” Cunniff recalled.

Indeed, Cunniff stuck to his word. All six kayakers survived.

Nelson’s canoe – named “Makana,” which means “precious gift”—was destroyed by the force of the ocean, breaking into three different pieces.

"The seats in the outrigger all broke out," Nelson explained.

Nelson said the canoe weighs about 400 pounds without the outrigger. The extensive damage to the vessel goes to show how powerful the ocean can be, he said.

Nelson said he and his fellow kayakers are incredibly grateful that Cunniff was the officer on the boat that day and credits him and the lifeguards for saving their lives.

"They deserve it – they totally do. It was amazing,” Nelson said.

At this point, Nelson isn’t sure Makana is repairable. If the canoe can’t be fixed, he’s hoping it can eventually be restored and displayed in a museum since the vessel has a long history in Oceanside.

Five students from Rancho Bernardo High School were arrested Tuesday in connection with arson in Poway.

All five juveniles have been released to their parents, San Diego County Sheriff’s Deparment (SDSO) confirms.

Several fires were set throughout Meadowbrook Middle School on April 11. A custodian called authorities after noticing a poster, trash can and locker were on fire.

San Diego County Crimestoppers had released images of several suspects after the arson was reported.

Their names were not released because of their age.

SDSO says the case will be submitted to the D.A.’s office this week and a date for a hearing at the Juvenile Court will be set later.

An undercover San Diego Police detective escaped injury when shots were fired at his unmarked vehicle while he was investigating gang activity in Jamacha Lomita Monday.

Officers received a call of multiple gunshots near Glencoe Drive and Jamacha Boulevard at 10:45 p.m.

A driver opened fire at the plainclothes detective sitting inside an unmarked car. The detective wasn't injured during the shooting however there were several bullet holes left in the detective’s car.

SDPD patrol cars arrived and stopped the suspect vehicle as it was traveling west on Jamacha Boulevard.

One man jumped out of the car and began running through backyards.

One officer fired his weapon at the suspect but it's not known if the man was injured, SDPD officials said in a written news release.

Two men and one woman were taken into custody, police said. One suspect was still outstanding. The woman has been identified as 31-year-old Kimberly Denise Hooker. She's been booked on a charge of attempted murder, police said.

The two men were not identified. They are facing weapon charges and a probation violation, police said.

The investigation has closed off a large stretch of Jamacha Road near Beacon.

Neighbors heard the shooting and police activity overnight.

SDPD officials say the officer who fired his weapon feared for his life at the time of the shooting. He has been identified only as an 8-year veteran of the department.

No other information was immediately available.

A Russian man died Sunday while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement near the U.S.-Mexico border south of San Diego, officials confirmed Tuesday.

Igor Zyazin, 46, had been in U.S. custody since April 24, while trying to enter the country through the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Zyazin had been deported in 2009, officials said.

Shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday, paramedics were called to the Otay Mesa Detention Center.

ICE employees say they found Zyazin “unresponsive”in his bunk and attempted CPR to revive him, according to a news release.

Zyazin was pronounced dead while on the way to a nearby hospital, ICE officials said.

ICE Officials said representatives from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and the Department of the San Diego Medical Examiner were also on scene.

ICE officials say Zyazin did not have a criminal history in the U.S.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was expected to interview Zyazin to determine the next steps for him to enter the U.S. legally.

The county medical examiner will determine a cause of death.

An Oceanside woman described hearing a sound unlike any she had heard before at the same time a cyclist was struck by a car near her home.

Philip White, 28, was killed while riding his bicycle on North River Road at 1:30 a.m. on September 21, 2014. His body was discovered four hours later.

In a North County courtroom Tuesday, Rosalinda Lopez took the stand and described the noise she heard outside her home on the morning White died.

"I've never heard that sound before," Lopez said.

When the prosecutor asked Lopez if the noise was consistent with a vehicle, Lopez replied, "No metal. That's what I was waiting for when I heard the car, but I didn't and instead I heard a pop which I thought was rather unusual, so much so, that I closed my windows."

Almost a year after White's death, investigators arrested Christopher Noah, 24, an active duty Navy medical assistant on Camp Pendleton.

Noah faces felony hit-and-run charges for leaving the scene of the collision in his green Kia Soul.

Oceanside Police Officer Eric Anderson investigated the collision and said surveillance video from the nearby water treatment plant showed a vehicle with one headlight.

Anderson testified the vehicle in the video was a green Kia Soul.

Noah admits he drove the vehicle that night, but told investigators he didn’t know he had hit anyone.

Investigators say Noah told them he had been drinking and thought he hit a light pole.

At the end of the preliminary hearing, the judge will decide if there's enough evidence for a trial.

Noah is free on $50,000 bail. He faces four years in prison if convicted.

A U.S. Navy SEAL was killed in an ISIS attack in Iraq, officials said Tuesday, NBC News reported. 

Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said the U.S. serviceman was advising and assisting Kurdish Peshmerga forces north of Mosul when ISIS launched an attack. 

Earlier, U.S. military officials told NBC News the American was killed by direct fire about 2 to 3 miles behind the Peshmerga's forward line during a large-scale attack by ISIS. The U.S. launched 20 airstrikes in response to that assault, military officials said. 

"It is a combat death," Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday. 

Tuesday's was the third U.S. combat death in Iraq in the past seven months.

The San Diego Blood Bank (SDBB) is facing a donation shortage and is asking any eligible individuals of all blood types to donate.

There has been a drop in donations, partly because of the Zika virus travel deferral, according to a press release by the SDBB.

Anyone who has traveled outside of the United States has to wait 28 days after returning to donate blood.

SDBB says there is only enough supply for some blood types to last 3 days and O negative is at less than a two-day supply.

“Our inventory is at dangerously low levels. We strongly encourage donors to visit any of our 6 donor centers or blood mobiles and donate blood today,” said Robert Baracz, Vice President of Marketing at the San Diego Blood Bank.

SDBB is the main supplier of blood to a majority of hospital in the San Diego county, according the press release.

To be eligible to donate, individuals must be at least 17 years of age, weigh at least 114 pounds and be in good health. 15 and 16 years old may donate if they have permission from their parents.

For more information, visit the SDBB website.

Less than two weeks after the Padres placed player Robbie Erlin on the 15-day disabled list, the team has announced the left-handed pitcher will undergo Tommy John surgery. 

Erlin was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday, April 21 with a left elbow strain. 

The player will now undergo the surgery to fix a tear in his UCL, manager Andy Green announced. 

The surgery means Erlin will be out for the rest of 2016 season and likely the start of the 2017 season as well.

Green says it’s definitely a hard blow to the Padres and he empathizes with Erlin.

"I hate to lose Robbie like that," Green said. "Just from a human perspective, the guy’s invested his life in being a major league pitcher. He was throwing the ball very well and then he has something like this happen.”

According to Green, Erlin went through rehabilitation for his elbow twice before and thought it was enough to help him play through it.

Monday’s MRI results showed the tear in his UCL was substantial enough to require surgery.

No date has been set for Erlin’s surgery, but Green says he believes they will operate quickly.

Tuesday is the day to say “thanks” to that special teacher.

The day is recognized as “Teacher Appreciation Day,” intended to honor educators who influence young people across the country.

In 1985, the National PTA established Teacher Appreciation Week. The National Education Association later voted to make the day an unofficial holiday celebrated on the first full week of May every year.

Here, some of our reporters share what make their favorite teachers so special.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) was responding to a rollover crash that involved 3 vehicles on the northbound Interstate 5, south of Genesee Avenue near the University of California, San Diego campus.

Three vehicles collided and at least one rolled over, according to CHP.

A sig alert was issued for lanes 3 and 4 of the northbound Interstate 5.

At least one person was transported to Scripps Mercy, according to the San Diego Fire Department.

CHP was on scene investigating.

No other information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story. 

Hubbs-Seaworld Research Institute (HSWRI) delivered 14,000 cultured white seabass to the Catalina Seabass Fund grow-out facility in Catalina Harbor in Catalina Island Tuesday.

All of the fish were transported by boat Monday from Oceanside Harbor to the grow-out facility on Catalina Harbor.

The fish will be raised to a juvenile size of 8 to 10 inches before they are released to restore wild populations of seabass.

More than 5,600 white seabass were released on April 11 in Catalina Harbor after reaching their juvenile size.

HSWRI, the lead organization for the ocean resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program (OREHP) partnered with the Catalina Seabass Fund grow-out facility to spawn and grow the seabass.

Each fish has a coded wire tag inserted into its cheek before it is released to keep track of its growth and length of time it survives in the wild.

White seabass were severely overfished from the 1950s to 1980s, according to a press release by Hubbs-Seaworld Research Institute. Their numbers dropped from 55,000 to less than 3,500 in California.

Zika virus is going to start spreading in the United States and the country's not ready for it, experts said Tuesday.

It probably won't spread much — most areas in the U.S. don't have the right conditions for widespread transmission of the virus — but even a little is too much, the officials said, according to NBC News.

"We have nothing at the national level other than advice from the CDC and most states do not even coordinate their programs at the county level very well," said Scott Weaver, of the University of Texas Medical Branch, at a news conference at the end of a meeting of Zika experts in Atlanta.

Once mosquito season starts, the U.S. could have small, local outbreaks.

"Very likely we will," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a separate briefing at the Pan American Health Organization's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The California Highway Patrol is hoping a new potentially dangerous trend doesn't gain any more traction on social media after videos posted show people jumping out of cars on Southern California freeways and skateboarding in the middle of traffic.

"I am hoping it's not a trend that picks up. We want to get ahead of it," said Sgt. Jose Nunez, of the California Highway Patrol.

Locally, one instance occurred on Interstate 5 in Encinitas, officers said. In that case, a skateboarder was seen on a social media video grabbing onto the back of a truck.

Pro-skater Nakel Smith can be seen in one such video on the 110 Freeway skating behind another car in traffic. His manager told NBC4 Nakel is not encouraging anyone to do this.

But it doesn't mean it's going unnoticed.

"Are they endangering people? The answer is yes," Nunez said.

CHP officers said lives are at risk, whether it's the pranksters or drivers trying to avoid them.

Those taking part in the "#freewaychallenge" could end up in serious trouble with the law.

"It's pretty much reckless driving," Nunez said.

That includes those behind the wheel, and those hitting record.

"That's also aiding and abetting," Nunez said.

Confirmation came from the Coachella powers that be Tuesday morning that rumors of an October incarnation of the music and arts festival are true. Desert Trip, as this iteration of the festival has been dubbed, brings together huge names in rock & roll for double-stands (read: full sets from every band) over three nights, Oct. 7-9, in the Indio desert. 

Desert Trip opens Friday night with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan & His Band, who are followed on Saturday, Oct. 8, by Paul McCartney and Neil Young & Promise of the Real. The weekend closes out on Sunday with Roger Waters and the Who.

Performances don't start until after the sun goes down, and contrary to Coachella vibes, Desert Trip is selling reserved seating, general admission and single day passes to this one. It all goes on sale Monday, May 9, at 10 a.m. PST, at deserttrip.com.

Single-day tickets run $199, while general admission for a three-day pass starts at $399. There's also a three-tiered option for reserved floor ($699, $999, $1,599) and two tiers of reserved grandstand ($999, $1,599), while the standing pit will set ticket holders back $1,599. Which is all to say that there's likely going to be some corralling happening at the head of the stage. 

The Goldenvoice event will offer hotel packages, premium seating and RV and tent camping as well, and there will be a big emphasis on food: world-renowned chefs and 40 restaurants from across the country will show up to represent in the desert come October.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer has unveiled a new plan to address San Diego's long-standing 911 dispatch issues. 

The new steps come amid reports of long wait times for city residents calling the emergency line. Most recently, the family of an infant mauled to death by the family dog waited 3 minutes and 10 seconds for a 911 dispatcher to receive one of its calls, San Diego police confirmed exclusively to NBC 7 San Diego.

The baby's death highlighted severe staffing shortages in dispatch.

“The city budget woes left a deep hole from which we are still emerging,” Faulconer said at a mid-afternoon news conference outside police headquarters downtown. “A rise in 911 non-emergency calls have added to our challenges.”

Faulconer announced five new steps to help immediately address the issue. 

Faulconer announced a more aggressive recruitment package in his May revision to the budget, additional financial incentives to keep dispatchers on the job and a pay raise for mid-level dispatcher positions that will go in effect in weeks. Additional personnel will be assigned to the department to return hung up calls so dispatchers can focus on important calls, Faulconer said. 

Faulconer said he also plans to increase accountability and make the call center more efficient by reviewing workflows. The City’s Performance and Analytics Team will work with the SDPD to modernize procedures.

Starting soon, the City will launch new awareness efforts to remind San Diegans to stay on the call. Hanging up kicks you to the back of the waiting line, Faulconer said, and he asked residents to only call 911 in life-threatening emergencies.

“Under the circumstances of the staffing crisis over the last several years, it has been an extremely stressful and difficult situation,” said Michael Zucchet, General Manager of the San Diego Municipal Employees Association.

In past months, Faulconer said he made several changes to the dispatch center. Dispatchers now start with higher pay and are awarded retention incentives. City officials have begun recruiting year-round, have sped up the hiring process and have made salary adjustments. 

Chief Shelley Zimmerman said her department received over 1.4 million calls into the communications center. More than 672,000 were emergency calls, she said.

In past years, vacant positions were eliminated from the department’s budget or just weren’t funded, Zimmerman said.

“That was 12,000 emergency calls that had to be answered or called back to determine if there was a true emergency, keeping a dispatcher in those precious seconds away from answering a real emergency,” the chief said.

A poignant moment was struck at the start of the news conference when Jennifer Duffy, the dispatch center’s recruiter, stepped the microphone.

"It is said that dispatchers are the 'Thin Gold Line',” she said. “We are the voices in the dark who are heard but never seen. I am blessed to be surrounded with some of the most dedicated and hard-working people you will ever meet. Every day they come in, dig in, and support that Thin Gold Line."

Extensive graffiti, broken windows, fire extinguisher discharge and toppled furniture at Warner Springs High School prompted district officials to cancel class for cleanup, San Diego Sheriff's Officials (SDSO) said. 

A school maintenance worker arrived Tuesday morning to find the extensive vandalism in multiple classrooms at the school on State Route 79, far east of Escondido, authorities said. 

Warner Springs Sheriff's deputies responded at 5:13 a.m. Several buildings, classrooms and officers were found damaged. 

The damage was severe enough to cancel school for at least Tuesday, deputies said. Officials began cleaning up and repairing the vandalism.

The closure covered the entire school district complex, including kindergarten through 12th grade. 

The repairs will cost several thousand dollars, SDSO said. 

The School Resource Deputy is responding. 

No other information was immediately available.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 with information to remain anonymous.

Sen. Ted Cruz, who despite an early victory in the Iowa caucus struggled to stop Donald Trump from cutting into his support from evangelical Christian voters, dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday.

Cruz lost the primary in Indiana on Tuesday, the latest in a string of defeats to the billionaire from New York, who considers himself the party's presumptive nominee.

"I've said that I will continue on as long as there is a viable path to victory. Tonight, I'm sorry to say that it appears that path has been foreclosed," Cruz said at a rally in Indianapolis.

"We gave it everything we've got, but the voters chose another path," he continued, vowing to continue to fight for liberty, a constant theme of his campaign.

Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich had battled to be the alternative to Trump. Kasich said in a statement Tuesday night that he continues to seek the nomination at an open convention.

"Gov. Kasich will remain in the race unless a candidate reaches 1,237 bound delegates before the Convention," his statement said.

But the head of the Republican party indicated for the first time Tuesday night that the establishment was finally ready to back Trump.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus tweeted that Trump will be the party's presumptive nominee. 

"We all need to unite and focus on defeating @HillaryClinton," Priebus said.

Reversing course after weeks of calling Cruz "Lyin' Ted," Trump said Tuesday night that the senator has "an amazing future" and congratulated him on the race he ran.

"I don't know if he likes me or if he doesn't like me, but he is one hell of a competitor. He is a tough, smart guy," Trump said in a speech at Trump Tower.

Cruz based his campaign on appealing to the most hardline conservatives and evangelical Christians. He outlasted over a dozen other Republican contenders, but despite winning 10 states, including his home state of Texas, Cruz was losing ground to Trump by March.

When an outright win proved out of reach, Cruz turned to a strategy of forcing a contested convention — preventing his rival from amassing the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination. But after Indiana, Trump was less than 200 delegates shy of doing so, with California among the states left to vote.

Cruz had expected to leverage his role as a Washington outsider — where he is known for stalling legislation and insulting other members of the Senate and where he planned to shut down the government his first year in office in a protest over Obamacare.

Cruz was popular among voters who described themselves as very conservative but Trump outdid him with white evangelical voters, including in the Indiana primary, according to NBC News exit polls. 

And in the contest for the nomination, he was quickly overshadowed by Trump’s outsized personality and non-political standing.

On Tuesday morning, Cruz attacked Trump as "a braggadocious, arrogant buffoon." He didn't mention Trump in his concession speech Tuesday night.

Cruz is unpopular among his fellow senators and others in the Republican establishment, some of whom worked quietly on behalf of Sen. Marco Rubio, who dropped out of the race in March. Afterward, the so-called "Never Trump" movement turned to Cruz, but some in the Senate still only managed lackluster endorsements.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, himself a former candidate, called Cruz a reliable conservative he endorsed over Trump, but said Cruz was "certainly not my preference."

Cruz was born in Canada to an American-born mother and a father from Cuba. The legitimacy of his candidacy was challenged, particularly by Trump who threatened to go to court.

A trailer carrying 180 bales of alfalfa overturned Tuesday on southbound Interstate 5 in Chula Vista.

The truck's driver was heading home to a South Bay ranch at 8 p.m. when he was struck by an out-of-control Mustang, CHP officials said.

The force of the impact flipped the trailer onto its side on I-5 near E Street.

The Mustang was traveling at speeds close to 100 miles per hour according to witnesses.

The Mustang's driver wasn't under the influence according to investigators, but may face charges at a later time.

No one was hurt.

CHP issued a Sig Alert while crews loaded each bale of hay onto a flatbed by hand.

A man was taken into custody by Chula Vista Police Tuesday, accused of driving into a line of parked cars, damaging up to seven.

The collisions happened near the corner of 4th and Moss after 11 p.m.

Several residents ran outside of their homes after hearing multiple crashes occurring at the same time along the busy road.

"I heard a 'Crash, Bang,'" said Doug Remfry who said his van was ripped up in the crash.

Remfry said he is insured but his work van may not be able to be used even with a spare tire.

The driver’s vehicle sustained extensive damage before the car came to stop. CVPD took the man into custody on allegations of driving under the influence.