EditorialEric Cherny, 18, a lifeguard for three years, wears a mask at Coney Island Beach as wildfire smoke blankets New York, June 7, 2023. (Dave Sanders/The New York Times)
EditorialEric Cherny, 18, a lifeguard for three years, wears a mask at Coney Island Beach as wildfire smoke blankets New York, June 7, 2023. (Dave Sanders/The New York Times)
EditorialEric Cherny, 18, a lifeguard for three years, wears a mask at Coney Island Beach as wildfire smoke blankets New York, June 7, 2023. (Dave Sanders/The New York Times)
EditorialConey Island Beach in New York, which has 14 miles of public beaches open for Memorial Day weekend, May 25, 2023. (Calla Kessler/The New York Times)
EditorialConey Island Beach in New York, which has 14 miles of public beaches open for Memorial Day weekend, May 25, 2023. (Calla Kessler/The New York Times)
EditorialConey Island Beach in New York, which has 14 miles of public beaches open for Memorial Day weekend, May 25, 2023. (Calla Kessler/The New York Times)
EditorialConey Island Beach in New York, which has 14 miles of public beaches open for Memorial Day weekend, May 25, 2023. (Calla Kessler/The New York Times)
EditorialConey Island Beach in New York, which has 14 miles of public beaches open for Memorial Day weekend, May 25, 2023. (Calla Kessler/The New York Times)
EditorialConey Island Beach in New York, which has 14 miles of public beaches open for Memorial Day weekend, May 25, 2023. (Calla Kessler/The New York Times)
EditorialConey Island Beach in New York, which has 14 miles of public beaches open for Memorial Day weekend, May 25, 2023. (Calla Kessler/The New York Times)
EditorialVacationers pose for photographs at a lifeguard tower on South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, Fla. on Friday, March 31, 2023. (Scott McIntyre/The New York Times)
EditorialMultiple lifeguards work to rescue three individuals who were in danger of drowning due to a strong rip current on Fourth of July in Maim Beach
EditorialLifeguard and swim instructor Tujuanna Jackson shows children how to float and hold their breath at the Nile Swim Club in Yeadon, Pa., June 29, 2022. (Rachel Wisniewski/The New York Times)
EditorialCary Epstein, a veteran lifeguard at Jones Beach, is among those being trained to operate a fleet of drones for shark-spotting in New York, July 1, 2022. (Johnny Milano/The New York Times)
EditorialDerick Whitson, a lifeguard, instructs during a swim lesson at Village East Swim Club in Manhattan, on June 22, 2022. (Caitlin Ochs/The New York Times)