Navarre Beach lifeguards are back for another season

The secret is out.

Navarre Beach was the place to be for Independence Day weekend. Cars circled the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier parking lot, searching for an ever-elusive parking space. Despite the green flag flying, lifeguards were as vigilant as ever watching for riptides while keeping their eyes on more than 1,000 visitors in the designated swimming area.

The guards started their day at 9 a.m. Lead guards Jessie Ton and Ryan Johnson were busy assigning equipment and four guards to each tower. Two towers are located near the pier and two others are in the Navarre Beach Park area. The towers are in constant communication with each other throughout the day.

“The designated swimming area is from the pier eastward just past the last tower,” Ton said. “This is the safest area for visitors on the beach. Our most important job is prevention. We want to prevent a dangerous situation so we do not have to rescue someone later.”

For more on this story, see the July 14 issue of the Navarre Press or subscribe online.