All
Summer Long
~ Tales and
Lore of Lifeguarding on the Atlantic ~
Interview with author
Gordon Hesse
January 2005
What inspired you to write this book?
The genesis of All Summer Long took place when I got together with lifeguards from the early 1950s and realized that although they had lifeguarded during a different time, they had similar experiences to those I had. The pranks, the parties, and the memorable bench partners all had a familiar ring. There was also a tradition of good-natured “busting” of one another—talk of how so-and-so was inadequate to the job of rowing a surfboat, swimming, or connecting with the females on their beach. It occurred to me that there was a rich oral history that needed to be recorded—not only for entertainment, but for conveying the skills necessary to be a good ocean lifeguard.
How long did it take you to write the book? How did you go about compiling it?
I began working on the book during the summer of 1996. I started by contacting lifeguards I had worked with and then expanded to those outside my circle of acquaintances. I wanted not only to recall the experiences of lifeguarding, but to capture the nuances of summer. My grammar school friend and former bench partner, Andy Baran, helped to recall many of the people and events from when we guarded. Andy had stayed in touch with many of them, so that was a big help.
I spent most of that summer interviewing, recording, and transcribing the guards and also taking photos I thought might help to make an interesting document. The following year, I continued to interview more guards. Then I took the elements from the transcripts, looked at how they reflected the changing phases of the East Coast summer, and organized them accordingly.
Are all these stories true? Are all these guys telling the truth?
To my knowledge, all the tales I heard were true. I don't doubt that there was some embellishments, but the basic events, I believe, actually occurred.
Who was Andy Baran and can you talk about your friendship?
Andy and I grew up together. We met in the second grade when I moved to the seashore resort of Lavallette, New Jersey to live there year round. Probably when we were in the 4th or 5th grade, we discovered we were both born on the same day. That coincidence seemed to create a unique bond. We attended the same schools, played on the same athletic teams, dated some of the same women, and worked several jobs together. We became very close—almost like twins—and shared many of the same interests: sports, music, reading, surfboating, and partying. We started lifeguarding at the same time and eventually became lifeguarding bench partners. We had an exceptional friendship. He encouraged me to write the book and contributed some of the beautifully drawn details of the experience of lifeguarding.
What one event from your ten years as a lifeguard stands out in your mind the most?
Probably it was my first day on the lifeguard stand. It was then that the responsibility of the job hit me full force: I was responsible for the safety of hundreds of people on the beach. It was a striking realization for an 18-year-old to realize the trust that I had assumed. I determined then to become the best lifeguard I could be.
You use the word "lore" in the title of your book. Is there lifeguarding lore? How long has it existed?
Lore refers to learning and understanding. Much of lifeguarding is learned on the job. How do water hazards develop? Where are they likely to be? How can you tell when a bather is imperiled even before they know it? Much of this accumulated knowledge is passed on orally, from one generation to another, with the ocean serving as an immense blackboard upon which the lessons are drawn out by the senior partner.
Then there are the social aspects: learning to get along with people on the beach, serving as a role model, or helping to calm down a lost child or a mother who is distraught because she doesn't know where her child has gone. There are also the dating rituals and the benefits of elevated status. The position, with its responsibilities and confidences, seems to attract extra interest.
Like almost any day-to-day job, there are also all the pranks and skullduggery that seem to be spring from boredom or inactivity. When young athletes have an ocean as both their workplace and playground, and such equipment as surfboats and surfboards become “toys,” interesting things develop.
It has always fascinated me how guards from different eras can talk about their experiences and there is a sense of fraternity. When lives are on the line, and you are responsible for them, you want reliable people to back you up. The guards that last for years know this well and appreciate it in others who have also been tested.
How did the coming and going of tourists affect you?
As a youngster growing up at a summer resort, the warm weather brought excitement and new and old friends alike. Summers were like a reunion for kids. Whereas Lavallette was nearly a ghost town in the winter, in the summer it seemed to spring to life with a whole palette of activities to choose from.
Has the area (Lavallette or the Jersey Shore in general) changed much since you guarded?
As I got older, the congestion and increasing density took much of the charm out of the Jersey Shore. Vacant land was consumed; high-density buildings and condominiums replaced simpler structures; open spaces disappeared and native plants were uprooted. In many cases, just finding a place to park became a challenge. The pace at the beach seemed to get more frenetic and more anonymous. When I was growing up, there seemed to be more civility and a sense of community. That seemed to vanish as the “old timers” became outnumbered by the nouveau riche who drove up property values, tore down sound homes, and replaced them with structures that took up every square foot the building codes allowed.
How is lifeguarding different today from when you guarded in the '60s and '70s?
Technically, lifeguarding is much the same now as it was fifty years ago. Lifeguards still need to be vigilant and athletic. They need to understand beach conditions and crowd control. There is more equipment now: all terrain vehicles and jet skis and wireless phones to name a few, but basically the same issues are involved. Socially and culturally, however, it has changed a great deal.
Before the 1980s, most of the guards were local and had grown up close to the ocean; they were 18-years-old or older and either in or heading to college. All the ocean guards were male. Many of them drank, whether they were of legal age or not. People were more willing to overlook small misbehaviors. Life was more informal and less litigious.
Now the guards are younger—still in high school (eligibility begins at 16 years of age), can't afford to live at the beach, and are highly competitive in lifeguarding tournaments. They seem to be more physically fit and better trained. Many of them are females.
Tell us about being captured by Castro and what it was like to be in his prisons.
In 1973, I worked on a shrimp boat that accidentally entered Cuban waters. When a Cuban gunboat stopped and boarded our vessel, they found guns and military surplus. To the Cubans, we looked like a paramilitary operation. After several months in solitary confinement, a series of prisons, a riot, a military tribunal, and two hunger strikes, we were released.
Do you spend any time on the beach today?
I love the ocean—to the point of almost believing it is “my” ocean. Having the good fortune of growing up at the beach creates a bond with the waves, the tides and the culture of the beach. I don't get to go there too often now, but I savor it every chance I get, even though I sometimes feel like a tourist now in my own hometown.