Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Atlantic City is a seaside community on Absecon Island in New Jersey that was the site of the 22.5-mile Atlantic City Around the Island Swim professional marathon swims of the 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s that attracted the créme de la créme of those eras.

But each and every swimmer who was escorted around the island were guided by two volunteer, hard-working lifeguards who battled waves, currents, heat, fog and flies. They were the heroes and backbone of the races.

As the Around the Island Swim is no longer held, the lifeguards have continued their ways and channeled their skills and energies to compete in a variety of seaside events:

Copyright © 2016 by World Open Water Swimming Association