VIRGINIA BEACH — Lifeguards will remain on their stands at the beach longer next summer after three men drowned in late September near 17th Street.
Tom Gill, chief of Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service, said he plans to keep lifeguards on stands at the Oceanfront for at least two more weeks than in years past in 2025.
The stands that the lifeguards sit on in the sand near the water’s edge will also remain on the beach for an extended period of time. The stands are used to display flags that warn beachgoers of dangerous surf, Gill told members of the Resort Advisory Commission earlier this month.
“It’s going to provide that level of visibility for dangerous conditions going forward,” Gill said.
Costs will not increase because lifeguard hours before Memorial Day and after Labor Day will be slightly adjusted, but supervisors will continue to patrol the beach, he said.
This year, lifeguards came down from their stands for the season Sept. 15, and the wooden stands were removed from the beach shortly thereafter. Going forward, lifeguards will remain on stands during the weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the last weekend of September, which includes the Neptune Festival. A response team will also monitor the beach until sunset.