Jersey Shore lifeguard recognized as oldest sitting lifeguard in the US
Ed Kiziukiewicz, 82, began lifeguarding in 1961.
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An 82-year-old lifeguard has saved countless lives and spent thousands of days keeping generations safe.
Ed Kiziukiewicz is now the oldest active lifeguard in the nation. One can find him watching over the crowds twice a week at Bay Head beach.
“My office is on the beachfront. It's not just sitting on the beach. Looking at the girls. It's looking at the people in the water and if you're doing your job, you basically should be a dry lifeguard,” said Kiziukiewicz.
Kiziukiewicz began lifeguarding in 1961 and is recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest sitting lifeguard in the nation.
His day begins at 8 a.m. with a walk to the water to check out conditions.
“Looks like it's gonna be a good day for patrons. It's not going to be necessarily as rugged as it was the last couple of days in regard to rip currents," he says.
With a green flag in hand, he heads to the Mount Street stand.
“Sometimes it's how people walk down the beach, whether you’re going to have a problem with them or not. Other times, it's how they swim in the water, how they enter the water," he says.
Kiziukiewicz and his fellow guards begin with a good stretch.
The retired Brick High School math teacher began his lifeguard career in 1961 at Island Beach State Park and has called the Bay Head beach his summer job for the last 23 years.
He shows no signs of slowing down.
“I'll let the beach know in April after I finish doing my ski stint, and then I'll be able to know whether I'm ready to go again next summer," he says.
Kiziukiewicz's winter job is a ski instructor in upstate New York, but he'll always have a spot open on the stand as long as he wants it.
