The view from the lifeguard’s chair ― bronzed faces bobbing in the water, toddlers packing sand into pails and dusting off seashells takes in the easy fun of summer at the New England shore.
But this summer, lifeguards have been confronted with a host of challenges that have turned the job into an anxious grind, scanning the horizon for danger that never seems far.
The hottest June on record followed by a stretch of relentless rain in July. Unruly or even violent beachgoers. And a spate of drownings that have put even the most laidback guards on edge and heightened the pressure on a young workforce grappling with a severe staffing shortage.