Pools and Beaches

Volunteers Sabine Frid-Bernards, Janie Dumbleton and Caroline Boykin count horseshoe crabs along the Broad Channel waterfront.

Mating By Moonlight: Horseshoe Crab Counting with New York’s Citizen Scientists

May 29, 2024, 12:59 p.m.May 28, 2024, 5:36 p.m.

The high-tide census of the prehistoric horseshoe crab is timed to their annual visits to the city to lay eggs on its shores. Fans of the blue-blooded arthropods will celebrate them at a festival in Jamaica Bay on June 8.

A lifeguard watches over swimmers at Rockaway Beach, July 20, 2022.

City Hall

Lifeguards Get New City Contract Via Arbitrator After Years of Treading Water

May 24, 2024, 4:14 p.m.May 24, 2024, 4:14 p.m.

The forced deal may not sit well with union , whose reps did not show up for a City Hall announcement.

The NYPD shows off one of their drones during a press conference along the East River.

Pools and Beaches

NYPD to Deploy Drones to Drop Flotation Devices on Drowning Swimmers at City Beaches

Feb. 20, 2024, 4:23 p.m.Feb. 21, 2024, 11:54 a.m.

It’s not clear how many of the remotely-operated drones will be in use this summer — or how they’ll coordinate with the Parks Department and lifeguards.

Pools and Beaches

As Heat Wave Hits NYC, Parks Department Won’t Extend Beach Hours

July 27, 2023, 5:00 a.m.July 27, 2023, 5:18 p.m.

Nearly three dozen municipal pools will stay open an extra hour, but 6 p.m. remains the last whistle for city beaches.

Pools and Beaches

City’s Most Dangerous Beach Short on Lifeguard Supervisors

July 19, 2023, 5:00 a.m.July 20, 2023, 1:57 p.m.

Chiefs and lieutenants direct scheduling and oversee rescue operations, but miles of Rockaway Beach where multiple drownings took place now lack these leaders.

Pools and Beaches

Bigger Pool of Funds Will Teach 6,000 City Kids to Swim

July 11, 2023, 5:00 a.m.July 10, 2023, 4:06 p.m.

This year’s budget includes an additional $5 million for opening public school pools for free lessons.

Pools and Beaches

Lifeguard School’s Lesson: Parks Department Bosses Are the Enemy

June 9, 2023, 5:01 a.m.June 9, 2023, 10:51 a.m.

Union-run mandatory workshops double as outlets for anti-management messages, while staff shortages keep stretches of beach closed.

Pools and Beaches

City Kicks Off Beach Season Still Wanting New Wave of Lifeguards

May 26, 2023, 4:29 p.m.May 26, 2023, 4:38 p.m.

Surfs up, numbers down. The Parks Department says that low staffing won’t keep any beaches or pools closed for now, even though there are just 480 guards ready to go — out of a desired 1,400.

Pools and Beaches

City Lifeguards and Tree Trimmers in Short Supply Heading Into Summer

May 22, 2023, 6:35 p.m.May 22, 2023, 6:35 p.m.

The Parks Department on Monday told the City Council that it needs many more employees patrolling pools, parks and forests.

Pools and Beaches

City Locks in Lifeguard Pay Bump and Bonuses as Swim Task Force Explores Solutions

March 28, 2023, 5:00 a.m.March 27, 2023, 9:19 p.m.

Lifeguards in their first and second years will get a boost of over $3 an hour — and soon there will be more places to train for and take the lifeguard test, for free.

Pools and Beaches

Mating By Moonlight: Horseshoe Crab Counting with New York’s Citizen Scientists

Lifeguards Get New City Contract Via Arbitrator After Years of Treading Water

NYPD to Deploy Drones to Drop Flotation Devices on Drowning Swimmers at City Beaches

As Heat Wave Hits NYC, Parks Department Won’t Extend Beach Hours

City’s Most Dangerous Beach Short on Lifeguard Supervisors

Bigger Pool of Funds Will Teach 6,000 City Kids to Swim

Lifeguard School’s Lesson: Parks Department Bosses Are the Enemy

City Kicks Off Beach Season Still Wanting New Wave of Lifeguards

City Lifeguards and Tree Trimmers in Short Supply Heading Into Summer

City Locks in Lifeguard Pay Bump and Bonuses as Swim Task Force Explores Solutions

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