Thursday, October 1, 2026
After nearly two decades patrolling the Long Beach shoreline, senior lifeguard Tim Cabasino has been named the 2025 New York State Lifeguard of the Year.
Cabasino, 34, was presented with the honor at the Long Island Lifeguard Championships at Smith Point Beach on July 28, recognizing his exceptional record as a lifeguard and an athlete. In his 19 years as a lifeguard, Cabasino has had no drownings under his watch and has represented the United States in lifesaving championship competitions across the globe.
“I would have never in a million years thought this was something I’d ever be worthy of receiving — I’m still kind of in shock,” Cabasino told the Herald. “More than anything, I’m honored. I feel like I would not be where I am today without a ton of the older lifeguards and mentors who I’ve learned from along the way.”
The annual award, presented by Smith Point Ocean Rescue, honors a lifeguard for performance, leadership and dedication to saving lives.
“I didn’t even know I’d be lifeguarding this long,” Cabasino said. Following years of serving as a junior lifeguard, alongside his friends and siblings, Cabasino joined as a full-fledged lifeguard for his first summer in 2007 at age 16.
Working as a lifeguard allowed him to make money while attending high school and, later, college. “I just started doing this job for fun,” he said. “Now it’s a huge part of my life, and I’m grateful that I’m in the place that I am today.”
Lifeguarding runs in the Cabasino family. His parents met as lifeguards in the Town of Hempstead, and all three of his siblings currently work as Long Beach lifeguards. Cabasino’s sister, Megan, 32, is a senior lifeguard patrolling Tennessee Avenue Beach, and his brother, Anthony, 28, is a senior lifeguard on the beach at Wyoming Avenue. His older brother, Philip, 37, now Long Beach’s deputy chief of lifeguards, earned the same state honor in 2015.
“It’s amazing,” Philip said. “I’m extremely proud of him. As brothers, we’ve been competing together since 2010. He’s excelled in competition, but he’s also a great person.”
Cabasino works as a senior lifeguard at the beach on National Boulevard, one of the barrier island’s busier stretches of shorefront due to its proximity to the Long Beach train station.
“As I’m getting older, I look forward to coming back to the job every summer,” Cabasino said. “It’s exciting because I get to do something that I really love, and I get to help mentor and develop young lifeguards so they can become better lifeguards, and just well-rounded people.”
He noted that for many of his young co-workers, lifeguarding is their first job — one that comes with serious responsibility. He admitted that there are slower days, but those are countered by days when more than 200 people can be in the water.
“That’s a lot to look at,” Cabasino said. “You’re constantly looking at your water, the beach next door, at people on the beach, making sure they’re not on the rocks.
“Ultimately, lifeguards play a vital role in ensuring that every person who goes to the beach gets to go home,” he continued. “You get to provide education on what the water is doing, or why the water looks a certain way, and why the flags are up. I think to a degree, we are educators of the beach and the ocean.”
In addition to his job as a lifeguard, Cabasino teaches chemistry and IB sports and exercise health science at Long Beach High School.
“We’re just very proud of Tim, and we hope he continues to do great things,” Andrew Smith, the high school’s principal, said. “He does an amazing job in the classroom, and he’s an excellent role model for our kids.”
Being both teacher and lifeguard can be a balancing act, Cabasino said. “I have to wear two different hats,” he said. “In one setting, I’m a teacher who has taught many of the lifeguards who have joined the patrol. Ten months out of the year, I’m the one grading their tests, then two months of the year, I’m not their teacher and we’re co-workers. Navigating those intricate relationships can be challenging.”
Before beginning his teaching career in 2015, Cabasino competed in lifeguard tournaments at the local, national and international levels. He’s won 15 Long Island championships, four national titles, and has represented the United States in four World Lifesaving Championships — in Japan, the Netherlands and New Zealand.
“I think a big misnomer about lifeguarding is that you have to be the best swimmer, the best runner, the fastest, the strongest,” Cabasino said. “A lot of times being a great lifeguard just means you’re a quick decision maker, you’re attentive, you’re on time and you can spot someone in distress very quickly.”
Cabasino offered some advice to younger lifeguards. “Be where your feet are,” he said. “A lot of times younger guards always think about where they’re going next —college, the future — they don’t realize this job is one of the best jobs they’ll ever have. This job is exciting, you’re working with friends in your community. Don’t forget to really soak in the moments you have.
“Also, don’t be afraid to make mistakes,” Cabasino continued. “When you start a new job, you’re afraid to make mistakes, afraid of being judged for making decisions you’re unsure about. Make decisions and take initiative — it’s only when you are indecisive that things can go wrong.”
