Sunday, November 9, 2025
Less than 15 minutes after Long Beach lifeguards went off duty at 6 p.m. on July 17, city Police Officer Sean Gutfleisch jumped into the water off Laurelton Boulevard fully clothed and, along with members of the Lifeguard Patrol, helped to rescue three swimmers in distress.
Gutfleisch “went full-on lifeguard,” according to eyewitness Eesha Butt, who described a strong rip current sweeping the swimmers away from shore.
That incident was the first last Thursday at different spots along the Long Beach shoreline between 6 and 8 p.m., when only the emergency Lifeguard Patrol — a skeleton crew of guards — is on duty.
Just over 20 minutes later, the city Fire Department’s Water Rescue Unit came to the aid of a person who fell off a personal watercraft near Atlantic Boulevard.
At 7 p.m., the Lifeguard Patrol and Water Rescue Unit rescued two people in the ocean near Monroe Boulevard, one of whom was taken to Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside. Then a kayaker in distress was rescued near Maryland Avenue at 7:36 p.m.
“It doesn’t happen as frequently, but it happens time to time depending on the water conditions — people continue to go into the water even though they’re advised it’s not as safe,” Philip Cabasino, the Lifeguard Patrol’s deputy chief, said of the multiple incidents within just two hours. Cabasino has served in that capacity for the past three years, and been a city lifeguard for 22 years.
City officials noted that unlike Jones Beach and Lido Beach, where visitors access the beach through parking lots, and where doing so is much more difficult when the lots are closed, Long Beach faces many more challenges when it comes to restricting access to the ocean, with so many residential streets dead-ending there.
“All day, set swimming areas are designated by red and green flags, but some people don’t like being told what to do — and I get that, but the ocean is undefeated,” Cabasino said, also crediting the LBFD, saying that if the Water Rescue Unit hadn’t been available the outcomes most likely would have been different.
Red flags mean no swimming is allowed, either because conditions are hazardous or because the beach is closed, and green flags mean it’s safe to swim. And signs are posted along Long Beach’s shoreline, informing visitors that swimming is prohibited when lifeguards are not on duty. City lifeguards work from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
Being “the City By the Sea,” Long Beach takes patrolling its shoreline seriously. The city’s lifeguards must be Grade III ocean-certified by Nassau County, skilled not only in swimming but also in rescues using equipment ranging from buoys and lines to surfboards. They are certified as well to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and trained in first-responder techniques.
“It was a crazy afternoon for the Fire Department and lifeguards, with all the events going on, to get there in a timely manner and get the rescues completed,” Fire Chief John Marino said, adding that the lifeguards on the emergency crew “do a phenomenal job.”
He explained that after the emergency Lifeguard Patrol goes off duty at 8 p.m., the beaches become the Fire Department’s responsibility, and members’ training plays a huge role in being prepared for water rescues.
“Training staff members, utilizing the Jet Ski, members pretend being distressed and rotate through each position, ready for whatever may have to be done,” Marino said, adding that members of the Water Rescue Unit must also hold Grade III certification.
Though the emergency lifeguards and fire department personnel rescued all eight people and no one was seriously injured, the incidents should serve to remind people how hazardous ocean swimming can be.
“It’s also a great reminder to remain out of the water at all times when lifeguards are not on duty,” Butt said. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
