“Why didn’t the lifeguard save the drowning hippie?”/“Because he was too far out, man.”

A hippie riddle is:
 
Q: Why didn’t the lifeguard save the drowning hippie?
A: Because he was too far out, man.
 
The joke has been cited in print since at least 2002 and has been printed on many images.
 
Another drowning joke is: “How do you drown a hipster?”/“In the mainstream.”
   
 
Google Groups: alt.ozdebate
Lame Jokes..
Mark Caplin
8/29/02
(...)
Why did the lifeguard let the hippie drown
He was too far out man
     
Google Groups: alt.slack
Can you bear to see… Hippies get married??!!!??
Giles
12/14/07
(...)
Why couldn’t the lifeguard save the hippy?
He was too far out, man.
 
Twitter
Chris Miller‏
@hchrismiller
Replying to @BBBaumgartner
@BBBaumgartner Why didn’t the lifeguard save the hippie? (In your best stoner voice): Because he was too far out, man.
10:36 AM - 8 May 2009
 
Twitter
Meme Motorsport‏
@mtskullcrusher
What did the lifeguard say to the hippie who was drowning? You’re too far out, man.
4:37 PM - 24 May 2009
 
11 September 1009, The Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland), “A comedian walks into a bar…,” pg. 17, col. 5:
WILLIE WHITE
Why did the lifeguard not save the hippie? Because he was too far out, man.
 
Twitter
PolarCoug‏
@PolarCoug
Why couldn’t the lifeguard save the hippie? He was too far out, man!
5:44 PM - 23 Nov 2009
   
15 January 2010, St. Petersburg (FL) Times, “Stageworks Theatre’s Tie Dye Black-Tie2:” by Amy Scherzer, pg.
Brendan McLaughlin of WFTS-Ch. 28 joked with anchor Deiah Riley: “Why couldn’t the lifeguard save the hippie?”
 
“He was too far out, man,” came the groaner as the emcees helped Stageworks net $55,000 to build out its Channel District theater, including $22,000 for the Rainbow Tribe youth outreach headquarters.
 
Google Books
The Mammoth Book of Irish Humour
Edited by Aubrey Malone
London: Constable & Robinson Ltd
2012
Pg. ?:
Why did the lifeguard not save the hippie? Because he was too far out, man.
Philip O’Farrell
 
Reddit—Jokes
Why didn’t the lifeguard save the drowning hippie?
submitted June 3, 2014 by PippiShortstocking13
Because he was too far out, man
 
Google Books
A Prairie Home Companion
Pretty Good Joke Book (6th Edition)
Introduced by Garrison Keillor
Prince Frederick, MD: HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
2015
Pg. ?:
Why didn’t the lifeguard save the hippie?
Because he was too far out, man!