Diamond Beach Patrol

05/23/2026

CPR/First Aid Training to Kickoff the Memorial Day Weekend 💎

05/14/2026

‼️Opening Weekend in Diamond Beach ‼️
Lifeguards on duty 5/16-5/17 at The Grand & Seapointe Village 💎

04/25/2026

04/17/2026

The Diamond Beach Patrol is excited to announce the promotion of Joe Taylor to Interim Chief for the 2026 season. Joe’s leadership, experience, and knowledge of ocean rescue safety and competition ranges over a 50+ year span. After 9 years, Chief Michael Drumm will be stepping down into a Director role with the DBP. 💎

03/07/2026

The 1st year of the California Gold in 2021 is the same day that I met, Tyler. I was mid 20’s at the time and just relocated to Newport Beach for a new job and would always look for events to get involved with.

That weekend of the California Gold, i exchanged numbers with Tyler, got to hang out and never heard from him after that for a few months. May/June of that year, I leave Orange County to head back to South Jersey for the summer, and I get a call from Tyler and he tells me that he got stationed for the Coast Guard back in Cape May, NJ and was looking to compete and work on the beach on his days off. Diamond Beach where we lifeguard, is just on the other side of the inlet from the Cape May CG (a bridge connects the two). That summer, Tyler must have done a half dozen lifeguard competitions with us and along with being a fantastic athlete and a great person, he was one TOUGH S.OB.!!

I did not know Tyler well, but the time he spent around the patrol that summer, you could tell he was special.

They say a picture tells a thousand stories.

This picture below hangs in my office and it’s not only a cool shot of our team, but characterizes the person Tyler was. A very dangerous 4ft-6ft pounding beach break in Harvey Cedars, LBI upon boat launch in a race and if Tyler does’t hang onto the stern of that boat (17ft long, close to 400lb), it could’ve flipped back frontwords towards the beach or flipped to the side and landed ontop of our oarsman.

A true sign that Tyler put others ahead of himself and service was his true calling. RIP🙏🏻

02/02/2026

Now Accepting Applications for the 2026 Season
-Limited spots available (Part Time/Full Time)
-Starting Rate: $190/Daily 10AM-5PM
-Complete a 500M (20 Laps) Swim Under 10 Mins
-Complete a 1 Mile Run Under 7 Mins 30 Secs
-Interview process to follow fitness requirements
-Must be available from June 13 - August 31
-Prior ocean lifeguarding experience is recommended
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1URGwEjNLKJu4pVegGo6Kh67GPM9SMjw0Jglpg2OdOFM/preview
Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions.

11/19/2025

After winning the qualification round at this past summers Redbull Surf & Rescue individual event in Ventnor City, NJ.
Kelsey Cummings, representing Diamond Beach and the United States on the world stage in Biarritz, France, is crowned the winner of the 2025 Redbull Ocean Rescue Championships.
This race consisted of a consecutive 1.4 Mile Board Paddle, 1.8 Mile Run, .5 Mile Swim, and a .8 Mile Surf Ski.
Incredible Performance, Kelsey. We are so proud of you! 💎🇺🇸

09/29/2025

As we lock the sheds, winterize the boats, and wind down on our final work day of the 2025 season, i’d like to thank our entire lifeguard staff for their commitment and consistent efforts over the last 135 days (5/17-9/29).

I have been fortunate enough to keep our core nucleus of lifeguards together since receiving our USLA Agency Certification in 2018. A special Thank you to Joe Taylor, Eric DiPadova, Mike Excell, Gavin Loughlin, Lauren Hirst, Eddie Gibson, Dave Lindsay, Tom Popdan, Kevin Young, DJ Penny, Joey Meehan, Timmy Mason, etc. who have been there from day one and continue to create a safe, fun, and positive atmosphere for all members of the Diamond Beach Patrol.

Summer 2025 was the largest our patrol has ever been. We hired 28 men and woman this summer who had the same mindset of saving lives, having fun, and training hard. And we hope to continue to grow that number for years to come!

Safety and Competition continue to be at the forefront of what we do. Our competition team continues to grow and is an integral part of our guards summers. A special congratulations to our Poverty 2 Cove Team Champions headed by Frank Brady, Allison Henry, and Nick Patino. Many other solid finishes include a 2nd Place finish at the RedBull Surf & Rescue Competition by Kelsey Cummings, Gavin Loughlin, and Frank Brady, a 3rd Place finish at the Harvey Cedars MidSummer Meltdown, Connor Gallagher’s Cape May Superathlon performance, a 2nd Place Team finish at our DBP Invitational, Marty Hagan’s Sea Isle City 10 Miler, Newcomer Ashton Funk’s Singles Row Events at Ventnor Goudy’s, AC Classics, and Margate Memorials, and Joe Taylor and TJ Kuhar’s Doubles Row Performance at the Atlantic City Classic. Many of our competitors are made up of Division 1 NCAA athletes, along with other individuals who spend hours daily training in running, swimming, and rowing.

Another big congratulations to our 2025 lifeguard of the year, Ben Peterson!

A big shout out to our Diamond Beach property managers, Jamie, Jim, Josh, and all of the board members for your continued support of our department. Very much appreciated!

Although we are not as big as most of the other shore towns and patrols in South Jersey, Diamond Beach offers a special sense of small community with a great surf and lifeguard culture that we get to call home.

As the saying goes “There’s Always Next Year”…See you in Summer 2026 💎

-MD

09/10/2025

Boat Talk
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