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At you own risk should be at your own risk I agree. The lawsuits should be thrown out immediately. The ocean should be available to use when no lifeguards are around in a free country. That being said, I think having lifeguards available at least in sept 7 days a week is a must and would save lives. Period. Hell, the lifeguards on most nj beaches aren't even on duty 7 days a week until the middle of june. It's really absurd. Even farther north in Rhode Island they're on duty 7 days a week from memorial day to labor day and weekends in most of may as well and it's WAY colder up there
People just don't want to deal with the headache when that "at risk summer" dies. They will still try to sue.
It seems that you can't stop people from swimming when the lifeguards leave or in areas where they shouldn't be in the water at all.
When people drown it is (obviously) a big deal and usually makes statewide news. I knew the number couldn't be that high because we don't hear about it a lot.
"It was about a week after the bodies of two victims were recovered at the Jersey shore, the last of five drowning victims so far this year. They ranged from a 10-year-old swimming with his family in Atlantic City to a 24-year-old Kenyan who died as four others he was swimming with were rescued from a rip current in Bradley Beach.
Authorities say all five deaths had one thing in common: They occurred when no lifeguards were on duty."
"After-hours drownings have long been a problem at the Jersey shore, but the situation is particularly bad so far this year. Lifeguards and shore mayors agree there are no easy or cheap solutions.
Joe Bongiovanni, Asbury Park's beach safety supervisor, says people will keep dying at the shore without some serious deterrents. He wants New Jersey to pass a law imposing stiff fines for anyone caught swimming after lifeguards have gone home. He made the suggestion the day authorities recovered the body of Chazmin Mills of Irvington, who vanished in the surf as his younger sister was saved by rescuers who had raced back to the beach shortly after it had closed for the day."
This is from 2012
"They are among at least 22 people who have drowned in New Jersey since the beginning of June, the majority under the age of 25. Many of them swam on unguarded beaches or unchecked riverfronts, or snuck away from parental supervision, a grim reminder that the seemingly innocent decision to seek refreshment from the blistering summer sun can have dire consequences, emergency officials say. And the numbers each summer are sadly consistent, raising questions about whether enough is being done to prevent these tragedies"
"A Brooklyn man drowned Sunday on an unguarded beach at 56th Street, and one of the many questions in the wake of the tragedy was "How did it happen?"
It's a familiar story on the Jersey Shore in September—when the lifeguard season ends and the warm ocean temperatures continue. The combination is often deadly.
Fall 2002 saw two drownings on unprotected beaches in Ocean City after Labor Day. A 12-year-old Philadelphia girl also drowned in Stone Harbor that September. The three drownings led to calls for longer Ocean City Beach Patrol hours and an extended season as well as more training and equipment for firefighters and police officers on duty year-round.
A man drowned on an unprotected beach at 17th Street in Ocean City on Sept. 12, 2004.
A 7-year-old drowned on a June 2006 evening after falling off the jetty at Sixth Street.
An after-hours swim in September 2008 ending with the drowning of a 36-year-old Ocean City man at 14th Street.
Two drownings occurred in 2009, both on unguarded beaches: one on the Great Egg Harbor Inlet in July, the other after-hours at Ninth Street in August.
A student from Belarus in the U.S. through an exchange program drowned during nighttime swim on July Fourth Weekend in 2010."
The funny thing is how many lives can be saved by simply spending some money and creating employment opportunities for people?(ie full time lifeguard positions)
I know you can't have lifeguards at every waterway, but the fact that you have ZERO lifeguards on 100 miles of open oceanfront in a modern 1st world nation with 25 million people within driving distance is absolutely a disgusting travesty.
A simple extension of lifeguards at a few select crowded beaches like belmar in sept/oct and may would give people a nice safe option for swimming, boogie boarding, or surfing and would save lives. If somebody chooses a place with no lifeguards that it's their choice, but to have no option for people is insanity.
But no the GREEDY, money pinching local representatives would never have it, but they'll be sure to charge you an arm and leg in beach badge fees.
Full time professional supervisor lifeguard(year round)
Salary, 40k per year.(you could EASILY get people for 25k per year!)
Requirements: GED or HS diploma, open ocean lifegaurd certified, cpr certified, ect. Must be able to pass in house physical and ocean test
Responsibilities: Beach duty may 1 to oct 0ct 31. Part time local pool work and some light office work as required during nov 1 to may 1.
People would be lined for a job like this. Lots of competition for it.
How's this different that the Los Angeles area or san diego or oahu where they have many free beaches? And in hawaii they have millions visiting JUST for the beach. I really don't like the privatization of beaches in NJ either. The ocean doesn't belong to anyone and they shouldn't be able to limit access. It's a natural resource. In Hawaii there are no "private" beaches and it's beautiful year round to go to the beach. A big problem in NJ is seeing the beach as private property. It's B.S. These same OCEAN FRONT property owners are begging for aid/money when a hurricane inevitably hits. Never mind the MILLIONS in replenishment paid for by the feds to put sand back on the beach every few years! They've overdeveloped the coast and built hard structures too close to the shoreline. And the millions spent rebuilding after inevitable and the subsidies given by the feds for oceanfront property insurance.
Even worse than charging for a beach is denying access.
And what's with the nazi mentality telling people they're not allowed in the water after 6pm? It's called swim at your own risk. This doesn't exist in california. There's too many rules at these beaches. It's insane. They need to lighten up.
The money collected for beach tags in one year would probably pay for lifeguard staffing for 15 years I'm guessing at a place like belmar. You also wouldn't need to pay for beach badge checkers which would save money. I could just imagine the amount collected. Never mind all the money these people spend at establishments in the area.
Love when you pompous ass's start screaming about free beaches but you don't want to come help clean or pay for the up keep.You throw out Belmar well I'll throw out Spring Lake .A few hurricanes ago the lifeguards closed the beach because of dangerous tides and undertow that is their right ,their call .Some very pompous "surfers" said F that and went out anyway now if one of them gets in trouble the lifeguards can't say F it they must try and save the dumb ass surfer who went out in the hurricane ,so the Police were called and they ignored the Police ,so the Coast Guard was called and once they showed up the "persecuted surfers"are were arrest for trespassing and disorderly conduct (I think).They sued,the town , the Life Guards ,the Police and even the Beach commissioner who ordered the beaches closed as a safety measures to protect people , what do you think it cost the Borough of Spring Lake to defend everyone in the suit and it went to the NJ State Supreme Court ,ya know why ,because those pompous surfers were all so Lawyers and they told everyone the same BS you are throwing out right now.Oh yeah , they lost ,everything, on every issue .
Lets talk Sandy ,do you know Spring Lake had lost it's boardwalk about three times in the few years before Sandy and the town has replaced it every time the town folk are rather well todo and pay very big property taxes but it doesn't mean that have to pay so you can enjoy it,you come you pay you enjoy you don't then don't come ,fly back to CA and enjoy your life there .
Here is a good one ,the surfer went out by himself ,drowned and now the family is suing because his rope broke .Not a lifeguard in sight and now this guy is dead because he is much smarter than everyone .
Love when you pompous ass's start screaming about free beaches but you don't want to come help clean or pay for the up keep.You throw out Belmar well I'll throw out Spring Lake .A few hurricanes ago the lifeguards closed the beach because of dangerous tides and undertow that is their right ,their call .Some very pompous "surfers" said F that and went out anyway now if one of them gets in trouble the lifeguards can't say F it they must try and save the dumb ass surfer who went out in the hurricane ,so the Police were called and they ignored the Police ,so the Coast Guard was called and once they showed up the "persecuted surfers"are were arrest for trespassing and disorderly conduct (I think).They sued,the town , the Life Guards ,the Police and even the Beach commissioner who ordered the beaches closed as a safety measures to protect people , what do you think it cost the Borough of Spring Lake to defend everyone in the suit and it went to the NJ State Supreme Court ,ya know why ,because those pompous surfers were all so Lawyers and they told everyone the same BS you are throwing out right now.Oh yeah , they lost ,everything, on every issue .
Lets talk Sandy ,do you know Spring Lake had lost it's boardwalk about three times in the few years before Sandy and the town has replaced it every time the town folk are rather well todo and pay very big property taxes but it doesn't mean that have to pay so you can enjoy it,you come you pay you enjoy you don't then don't come ,fly back to CA and enjoy your life there .
You know nothing about surfing and your ignorance is unbelievable. I'm glad the surfers sued those idiots. They have no right to arrest them.
You have absolutely no clue what you're talking about. This is pure east coast mentality. The surf in hawaii and california is routinely WAY BIGGER than NJ could even dream of. Even during a hurricane swell NJ is a JOKE compared to cali or hawaii. LEARN a little. NJ swell maxes out at about 10 feet. I've seen them banning people from surfing in chest high swell. It's laughable.
NJ HAS ZERO SURF CULTURE compared to out west since it's flat 90% of the time and idiot lifeguards bureaucrats that know nothing about swells in the ocean since it's lake flat 90% of the time. The people here don't understand it. California/hawaii would have to BAN surfing since the waves from your average hurricane swell are around head high. Hawaii routinely gets triple overhead surf plus.
Hawaii especially the north shore routinely gets GROUND SWELL(the same stuff sent in by an offshore hurricane) that would make nj look like a lake. Bodyboarders and surfers routinely surf stuff that NJ's overzealous beach staff kick people out of the water for. Welcome to the nanny state. If you're going to stop surfers from surfing during a hurricane swell(talking CLEAN rideable surf when the hurricane is offshore) then you might as well ban surfing except for people just LEARNING riding knee high mush who don't know what they're doing. You have no clue.
You think hawaii bans surfers from entering the water?
HELL NO! NJ couldn't dream of waves like this. Oh yeah and that wave is breaking on razor sharp coral reef. Not sand! It's barely 3 feet in spots at pipeline.
Waimea bay....yeah surfers and bodyboarders aren't banned. Lifeguards are simply careful who they let out and use COMMON SENSE.
Your ignorance is scary. Please educate yourself. Surfers and bodyboarders(ie boogie boarders that know what they're doing) NEED hurricane swells. There's always rip currents. People with experience rarely need rescuing, but it's still a good idea to have lifeguards. It's why the north shore ocean patrol in oahu is the best in the world. They're pros. Not students, many of whom don't even surf and know nothing about the ocean. The worst are some of the beach managers.
Last edited by mikelizard860; 05-30-2015 at 03:30 PM..
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