Ocean Rescue staff focuses on less drama, more education

Fernandina Beach Ocean Rescue saw a large jump in interactions with beachgoers in 2025 — but most of those exchanges were aimed at keeping the public safe.

Ocean Rescue recorded 52 water rescues last year, up 4% from 2024. But preventative actions increased by 52% and enforcement of beach rules increased by 43% from the prior year, according to Haynes Cavender, chief of the Fernandina Beach Fire Department Ocean Rescue Division.

The statistics reflect a concerted effort by the staff to make the beaches safer and pleasant for everyone, Cavender says.

“We’re the face of public safety on the beach,” he says. “We do everything from enforcement to education to response and rescue. Our big goal is prevention, and that is done through education.”

Ocean Rescue is rapidly staffing up for the coming summer, recently holding its final lifeguard tryout and training sessions. Nassau County’s annual Opening of the Beaches will be held on May 16, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Main Beach with music, interactive experiences and water activities — a grand kickoff to the summer season.

Cavender and his staff, however, have been preparing year-round for the demanding summer season.

“Every year, it gets busier and busier,” Cavender says of beach activity. “In the off-season, we work on training the next season’s lifeguards. Most of them are in high school or college, but we try to meet with them year-round, once a month, and do some training.”

Ocean Rescue added two additional full-time positions last year to meet the demand and has just completed a successful recruitment season for summer lifeguards. Ocean Rescue is responsible for city beaches and has a contract with Nassau County to guard county beaches.

Lifeguards are on duty from early March through October. Lifeguard towers are staffed from 10:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, although Ocean Rescue staff are monitoring beaches every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Cavender says.

Over the last few years, Ocean Rescue devised a program to increase public education aimed at preventing the need for rescues. Educational outreach is accomplished through social media postings and safety programs in schools. Most of the effort, however, involves interacting with beachgoers, he says.

“Our staff will go up to people and say, ‘there is a rip current here’ or ‘you’re swimming too far out.’ That’s what we want to see from our lifeguards because we’re preventing the emergency from happening,” he says.

Lifeguards are rigorously trained for their duties, adds Cavender, who became a Fernandina Beach lifeguard at age 16. Candidates undergo a preliminary tryout that involves a 500-meter swim that must be completed in under 10 minutes. Agility tests are conducted, and those who pass go on to a lifeguard academy that involves 80 hours of advanced training.

Beachgoers can contribute to beach safety by watching out for each other and learning about water conditions before heading to the beach, he says. If you know what a rip current looks like and see a family set up in front of one, warn them, Cavender says. Check the Ocean Rescue website each day to find out water conditions. The website includes information on which lifeguard towers are open; current, tide, wave and temperature data; and marine pest status (stingrays, jellyfish, dangerous fish).

“Be aware of the conditions of the beach and heed the warnings of the flags,” Cavender says. “If we post a red flag warning, share it. Let people know maybe it’s not the best day to get in the water.”