Don’t worry, the beach is happy!
Swimming season officially began in New York City on Saturday, and while there were fewer lifeguards on duty at the city’s beaches, there were plenty of people having fun in the sun.
Thousands of sunbathers and Michael Phelps wannabes flocked to the city’s eight public beaches, including Coney Island.
Among those celebrating the unofficial start of summer was Vadim, 39, a small business owner from Prospect Lefferts Gardens who played beach volleyball. “The beach is great, the weather is great, everything is great,” he said.
The specter of last year’s shark incident cast a shadow over what should have been an upbeat outing.
Jay Duran, 35, an engineer from North Jersey, and his partner, Savannah Duran, 28, a medical assistant, were cooling off in the water at Brighton Beach.
The pair didn’t notice that there were no lifeguards in the area of the beach where they were swimming, but Jay joked that it might be because “they’re afraid of sharks.”
Jay noted that Duran’s sister stayed home on Saturday because of her fear of sharks.
Coney Island resident Yanni Bocharov, 39, said he isn’t worried about a possible encounter with the apex predator.
“I would rather buy a lottery ticket than encounter a shark in the ocean,” he said.
While the smiles are apparent, not all beaches are fully open for swimming as the city only has just over a third of the lifeguards it needs.
Parks officials announced earlier this week that the city has hired only 260 of the 600 lifeguards needed to staff New York City’s 14 miles of beaches, leaving Orchard Beach in the Bronx, Coney Island and Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn, Rockaway Beach in Queens, and parts of Midland, South, Cedar Grove and Wolfs Pond beaches on Staten Island without guards.
The city also announced it would slightly relax qualifications for lifeguards at wading pools as it continues to struggle to find water rescue personnel for the summer.
The beaches will remain open until September 8. The city’s 79 outdoor pools are scheduled to open on June 27.
