Well, it’s been a sizzling summer and everyone’s been diving in … to the ocean for refreshment and, of course, in the name of locals’ tradition. And while everyone’s diving in and swimming with the summer tide, lifeguards are making sure that all make it back to shore.

And, back in the day, say, 1984, Sandy Hook lifeguards were known to be the most competitive, apt lifeguards around. It was well known that the process to getting accepted into the Hook lifeguard pool was a rigorous one. And once hired as a Gateway National Recreation Area lifeguard, the daily training and honing of skills was daunting, but welcomed by those who became the coveted guards.

Back in the 1970s, there were even barracks that housed the guards. Some were out-of-state while others were from as close as the Rumson-Fair Haven area, like some in this shot.

So, the Retro Pic of the Day pays tribute to summer and the rigors and triumphs of being a Sandy Hook lifeguard with a snapshot of a few, courtesy of former longtime Rumsonite Joanne Distefano Garelli (photo via her friend and guard Miguel Mejia).

Know any of these lifeguards? Your lifeguard story?

Guard on!

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