New York City’s beaches opened on Saturday for the first time since September, starting the summer season. And for the second year in a row, the city has managed to recruit more lifeguards than the year before during a nationwide lifeguard shortage.
According to the parks department, the city has 370 lifeguards to staff beaches for opening weekend, compared with the 280 it had at the same point last year. Official lifeguard numbers will not be available until July, when the last city lifeguards are certified.
Last summer, 1,082 lifeguards staffed pools and beaches across the city — the highest number since 2019, and a 23 percent increase in new recruits since the year before. In 2023, there were fewer than 500 lifeguards for Memorial Day weekend.
Outdoor pools are not open for the season until June 27.
Henry Garrido is the executive director of District Council 37, the union that represents lifeguards and their supervisors. He said that the union had pushed for higher wages and retention bonuses for years, and he credited Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration with a communication strategy that aided in recruitment. Full-time lifeguards make $22 per hour and receive a $908 training payment when they complete the summer season, according to the parks department website.
“This year the Mamdani administration announced those benefits ahead of the season, which directly contributed to higher application numbers,” Mr. Garrido said.
In February, the mayor posted a video on social media explaining how to apply to be a lifeguard and what was required, which also led to an uptick in applications, according to Thea Setterbo, DC 37’s director of communications.
The city’s 14 miles of public beaches, which drew over eight million visitors last year, will remain open until Sept. 13. Lifeguards are on duty from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and swimming outside of those times is not allowed, according to a statement from the parks department.
The increased staff levels at beaches come during an ongoing search for a teenager from the Bronx who disappeared while swimming at Rockaway Beach on Tuesday during a heat wave.
Last summer, there were five fatal drownings at city-run pools and beaches. Three of those occurred during operating hours, and two happened when lifeguards were not on duty.
In 2024, seven people drowned at New York City beaches. That was the highest number since 2019, when at least seven people — all under age 25 — drowned at New York City beaches.
Claire Fahy reports on New York City and the surrounding area for The Times.
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