Thursday, October 1, 2026
In September, the City of Long Beach, with production work by e-Face Productions and Vision of One, filmed a public service announcement aimed at educating children and teens about the dangers of swimming in the city's beaches when lifeguards are not on duty.
The film, which was recently posted on Youtube and the city's website, will be distributed to schools in the New York area in this spring.
The PSA was produced following the death of 12-year-old Nicole Suriel in June of last year. Suriel was part of a group of students from Harlem’s Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering who came to the beach at Edwards Boulevard for a day that was meant to be both fun and educational.
Three chaperones watched as many of the 24 students went into the water, even though lifeguards were not on duty and signs were posted indicated that swimming was prohibited. Sixth-grader Suriel got caught in a rip current, and drowned despite a massive search by rescuers.
Last November, City Manager Charles Theofan told the Herald that the beaches would open a week earlier this spring: Lifeguards will be on duty full-time beginning June 18, a decision that was made in the hope of preventing another tragedy, he said.
“It was a decision that was made with our chief of lifeguards, who informed me that we could adequately staff [the beaches],” Theofan said. “With schools ending earlier and earlier, he determined that we would have enough staff.” Theofan explained that 50 lifeguard stations are manned by 130 lifeguards.
Additionally, the PSA was another effort aimed at addressing the dangers of swimming in the offseason. The city produced the $10,000, 10-minute PSA aimed at creating awareness among New York City and Long Island students of the dangers of swimming when lifeguards are not on duty.
The film portrays students visiting the beach who realize that a friend is missing in the water and may have drowned. It features a dramatization of a drowning and a rescue attempt that includes actors and actual lifeguards, as well as a visual illustration of rip currents, with lifeguards’ instructions on how to calmly and safely swim out of them.
“Our hope is that with the PSA being circulated in the schools, young people will be informed about the serious dangers of going into the ocean when lifeguards are off-duty,” Theofan said in a previous interview.
