Beach closures expected in NYC due to lifeguard shortage, work

NEW YORK CITY(PIX11) – New York City is expecting a larger roster of lifeguards this summer than last, but an ongoing shortage will still affect city beaches, city officials warned. 

New York City’s beaches open for the season on Saturday. The sandy shores will remain open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. when lifeguards are on duty. But throughout the season, a lifeguard shortage and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work will close some segments of beaches, Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi said on Tuesday.

“There will be still some segments of the beach that are closed,” Joshi said. “But we are confident that we will be higher than we were last year.”

A spokesperson for the Parks department told PIX11 that all pools and beaches will open on schedule this year as they did last, but the amount of available swimming space is subject to change based on daily lifeguard staffing.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work will happen for a short period of time over the summer, Joshi said. To start the beach season, about 20 blocks of beach in the Rockaways will be closed for work, but that will decrease to about 10 blocks by June, according to a spokesperson for the Parks department.

Ideally, New York City would have over 1,000 trained lifeguards on hand for summer, but this year likely won’t come close, Joshi said. 

In February, the city announced it would offer a $1,000 bonus to all returning lifeguards who work through peak season, as well as increased pay for lifeguards at $22 per hour.