Lifeguard Supervision Starts July 1

Lifeguard supervision at many Nova Scotia beaches will begin on Friday, July 1.

About two dozen beaches in 12 counties are staffed each summer. Beaches will be supervised daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., except Mavillette Beach in Digby County, which is supervised on weekends only.

Clam Harbour Beach in Halifax Regional Municipality is usually supervised, but a shortage of lifeguards means it will be unsupervised initially. Recruitment efforts are ongoing.

Most beaches will have lifeguards on duty until August 28. A list of supervised beaches and daily updates on conditions are available at: http://www.lifesavingsociety.ns.ca/index.php/nsls-home/beaches

The Nova Scotia Lifesaving Society is contracted by the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, several municipalities and Parks Canada to provide lifeguards.

Quick Facts:

• last summer, more than 300,000 people visited provincial beaches and more than 100 rescues took place
• this is the Nova Scotia Lifesaving Society’s 50th year in service, and since it began, its lifeguards have supervised nearly 20 million people and made more than 4,900 rescues
• lifeguards hold a Lifesaving Society National Lifeguard certification as well as certifications in standard first aid, oxygen administration, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillation (AED)
• the society also helps the government test water quality to ensure the safety of all swimmers

Additional Resources:

Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nslifeguard

Natural Resources and Renewables on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NS_DNRR