NJ lifeguards tell their stories in new book from Toms River author

During an ideal day at the beach, your interaction with nearby lifeguards would be minimal — your family is following the rules, no one's in need of saving, and guards may not be interested in chatting when their job is to keep hundreds of bathers safe.

But with a newly published book straight out of the Garden State, you get perhaps the most intimate look into the mind of a beach lifeguard at the Jersey Shore.

Sand, Sea & Rescue: Lifeguards of the Jersey Shore is available online and through local book-signing events.

Author Gregory Andrus, a Toms River resident, traveled to more than 20 beach towns over an eight-week period in 2021, to gather tales from shore lifeguards — including folks who were relatively new to the job, and others who've been watching the sand for decades.

"It's an aesthetically pleasing testimony to the nobility and courage of our lifeguards," Andrus said. "They don't get enough thanks."

Andrus, who says he's always had a profound fascination with the ocean and with the lifeguarding profession, used a classic film camera to take photos of the participants, and brought along a high-definition audio recorder to add an interactive element to the book.

"You can scan a QR code and hear the lifeguards telling their experiences and their stories in their voice, while you're looking at their picture," he said.

You can meet the author and learn more about the book by attending one of the following book-tour events:

• July 15, 5-7 p.m., Dani-L Boutique, Normandy Beach
• July 20, 6:30-8:30 p.m., The Beach House, Lavallette
• Aug. 9, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Surf City Library, Long Beach Island
• Aug. 12, 6-8 p.m., The Little Point Bookshop, Point Pleasant
• Aug. 18, 5-7 p.m. Thunder Road Books, Spring Lake

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.