Trained for chaos, driven by duty. Inside the world of South Walton's elite lifeguards.
When people think of beach lifeguards, they may picture the cool kid in shades up on the stand swinging a whistle, or a girl in a red swimsuit running down the sand. Those images still exist. But there is far more at work than meets the eye. Beach safety has become a serious, multi-faceted profession.
In Northwest Florida, Santa Rosa Beach is headquarters to the South Walton Fire District. The SWFD, established in 1983, serves eighty-four square miles under its own Board of Fire Commissioners. Before 2006, there was no formal beach lifeguard program here at all.
The day that changed everything
That changed after a warm Sunday in June 2003, remembered now as Black Sunday.
"It was a warm day, so people were getting in the water," said SWFD Public Information Officer Mackenzie McClintock. "The coastline from Pensacola to Panama City was experiencing extremely significant surf conditions, which resulted in multiple water-related emergencies, and many drowning fatalities. It was a pretty horrific day for the Emerald Coast."
Local municipalities came together afterward to decide how beach safety would work across the region. In 2006, SWFD launched its Beach Safety Division, funded through tourism development taxes. Today it protects twenty-six miles of coastline from eighteen lifeguard towers, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, March through October.
The 500 meters that stops most people
The hiring process is not for the faint of heart, and neither is the job.
"Beach lifeguards have historically been considered to have easy or laidback jobs, but that's far from the case," McClintock said. Candidates must swim 500 meters in under ten minutes and run 1.2 miles in under twelve, then pass a drug screening and background check.
David Vaughan has served as Beach Safety Division Director since May 2015. "The 500-meter swim is what eliminates most candidates. It's a hard test for those without a swimming background," he said. Those who pass attend a training academy covering medical response on the beach, ATV operation, and open-water lifesaving under United States Lifesaving Association guidelines.
There are roughly thirty full-time Beach Safety staff, twenty full-time lifeguards, and another 30 to 40 seasonal guards. Lieutenant Luke Turner came to it from Australia's Sunshine Coast, where beach guards are everyday heroes.
"Growing up in Mooloolaba, the lifeguards were idolized," Turner said. "I knew I wanted to be the guy that everyone relied on during heavy surf conditions." He started volunteering at fourteen and turned professional at eighteen.
"Our days can involve monotonous routine and then devolve into organized chaos."
Guards begin the day marking rip current locations and checking equipment, followed by an hour of physical training. Then they call on duty, report the day's flag conditions to dispatch, and start scanning. "We continuously scan the surface line for any signs of distress and remain in a constant state of heightened awareness," Turner said.
Read the flags
Both Vaughan and Turner feel strongly about the flag warning system. "It's important that the public understands hazards exist even with smaller wave sizes. We have an entirely different beach, and underwater topography, than the West or East Coast," Vaughan said.
The Double Red Flag warning was written into Walton County ordinance after rescuers from neighboring counties died trying to save people who had ignored the flags. Entering the water under double reds can bring a $500 citation or a criminal charge.
"We train all lifeguards to be qualified to enter just about any surf conditions encountered in the Gulf."
There are limits. Under hurricane conditions, responders are told to prioritize scene safety, and the decision to enter the water rests with the individual guard. "There are extreme situations when we will not attempt a rescue, for the safety of our personnel," Vaughan said. "Fortunately, we haven't had to invoke that in reality."
June 7, 2024
In an extremely rare event, three swimmers in South Walton were injured that day by what was identified as a bull shark near shore. Elisabeth Foley, visiting from Virginia with her family, was among those critically injured.
She remembered a beautiful, happy day, and noticing a man and his son playing in the surf as she entered the water. Her next memory was looking up at the face of that same man as he pulled her free during the attack. Her husband dragged her to shore, where bystanders were waiting.
Foley had been on a private beach with no lifeguard stand. Responders still arrived in time. She stayed conscious on the sand, and before she closed her eyes she saw and heard a young lifeguard she remembers only as "Michael, in red swim trunks," rendering aid and quietly comforting her.
She said she remains amazed that he and the others performed their duties so calmly amid the chaos. She credits her survival to God, the SWFD responders, the Beach Safety lifeguards, and the citizens who rushed to help.
Foley holds no ill will toward sharks. She wants people to be aware of their surroundings, to have fun, and to swim near a guarded beach. Despite severe injuries and the loss of her hand, she is making a resilient recovery, and she has met her rescuers since, a cathartic moment for everyone involved.
"We cannot live in fear."
She has already been back in the water. Because of that day, McClintock said, four additional guard stands have been added where there were none.
Lulu Gribbin was also injured on that stretch of coast the same day. Read her story here.
The next generation
Each summer, SWFD runs a six-week Junior Lifeguard Program for ages 9 to 16, a hands-on look into surf rescue. It builds confidence and teaches drowning prevention, CPR, running, paddling, and swimming, and it is quietly growing the next generation of professional beach lifeguards.
Director Vaughan says citizens can help by respecting the beaches, the flag system, the lifeguards, and one another. His standing request is a simple one: swim near a lifeguard stand whenever you enter the water.
South Walton, and the Emerald Coast as a whole, remains a happy and beautiful place to enjoy the Gulf, thanks largely to the diligence of these professional beach lifeguards.
Adapted from "Surf, Rescue, Repeat" by Susan Gunn in Beach Happy Magazine, Fall 2025, Issue 22. Photographs courtesy of South Walton Fire District. Flag meanings and program details reflect the original feature; check swfd.org for current conditions, flag status, and Junior Lifeguard information before you go. Read the original issue.
