What does a beach lifeguard do?
Beach lifeguard responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real beach lifeguard resumes:
- Used ATV's for various beach duties.
- Examine injure persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.
- Examine injured individuals, administer first aid.
Beach lifeguard skills and personality traits
We calculated that 34% of Beach Lifeguards are proficient in CPR, Emergency Situations, and Patrol.
We break down the percentage of Beach Lifeguards that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CPR, 34%
Be ready at all times to save lives, perform CPR, alert Coast Guard or local EMS if necessary.
- Emergency Situations, 9%
Monitored beach and water for any arising emergency situations.
- Patrol, 8%
Collected, organized and submitted all required documents to Human Resources for the 100 plus members of the beach patrol.
- Water Safety, 6%
Communicated with and educated patrons about water safety and conditions.
- Lifeguard Training, 6%
Facilitate lifeguard training by creating scenarios and lesson plans to ensure cast reediness in life threating emergencies.
- Public Safety, 4%
Answered inquires and enforced state beach rules to ensure public safety.
"cpr," "emergency situations," and "patrol" are among the most common skills that beach lifeguards use at work. You can find even more beach lifeguard responsibilities below, including:
The three companies that hire the most beach lifeguards are:
- Great Wolf Resorts73 beach lifeguards jobs
- City of Norfolk6 beach lifeguards jobs
- Cadence Education4 beach lifeguards jobs
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Beach lifeguard vs. Aquatics specialist
The duties of an aquatics specialist depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. With their expertise in aquatic environments, an aquatics specialist may work at government agencies, laboratories, learning institutions, and private companies. Typically, their responsibilities include conducting studies and observations, gathering and analyzing data through scientific procedures, coordinating with fellow experts, managing aquatics programs and projects, and developing strategies to resolve issues and concerns. Furthermore, as an aquatics specialist, it is essential to lead the efforts of different projects, all while adhering to the organization's vision and mission.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a beach lifeguard are more likely to require skills like "emergency situations," "patrol," "lifeguard training," and "public safety." On the other hand, a job as an aquatics specialist requires skills like "husbandry," "primary resource," "animal welfare," and "retail sales." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
The education levels that aquatics specialists earn slightly differ from beach lifeguards. In particular, aquatics specialists are 1.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a beach lifeguard. Additionally, they're 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Beach lifeguard vs. Swim instructor
As the name entails, swim instructors teach both children and adults how to swim. They help people develop their swimming ability through proper swimming techniques. Their responsibilities include ensuring that all swimming equipment is in good condition, evaluating student performance and providing feedback, and preparing reports on attendance and accidents. They are also responsible for preventing injuries and accidents through monitoring. There are several requirements to become a successful swim instructor that may include previous experience as a swim instructor, certifications on CPR and first aid, and swimming abilities.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, beach lifeguard responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "cpr," "patrol," "lifeguard training," and "public safety." Meanwhile, a swim instructor has duties that require skills in areas such as "cleanliness," "customer service," "kids," and "work ethic." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Swim instructors earn a lower average salary than beach lifeguards. But swim instructors earn the highest pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $28,059. Additionally, beach lifeguards earn the highest salaries in the hospitality with average pay of $29,643 annually.swim instructors earn similar levels of education than beach lifeguards in general. They're 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Beach lifeguard vs. Ski patrol
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a beach lifeguard is likely to be skilled in "water safety," "lifeguard training," "public safety," and "water rescue," while a typical ski patrol is skilled in "trail maintenance," "first-aid," "guest service," and "patient care."
Ski patrols typically earn similar educational levels compared to beach lifeguards. Specifically, they're 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Beach lifeguard vs. Ski patrol director
Types of beach lifeguard
Updated January 8, 2025











