A new program at the Chilmark Community Center aims to address the lack of lifeguards on the Island by preparing the next generation for ocean rescue, even before they are old enough to be officially certified.
In Massachusetts the minimum age to be a lifeguard is 16 years old, but this summer a new junior lifeguard program will focus on two younger age groups, ages 7-10 and 11-15, in order to recruit and train future lifeguards.
“I know that there’s a lifeguard shortage, and I thought having these kids ready to pass the lifeguard test and be ocean trained at the same time would be a really helpful thing to start getting beaches staffed,” said Miles Brucculeri, board member of the Chilmark Town Affairs Council and founder of the program.
The program will run as a stand-alone program or as an add-on to the Chilmark Community Center summer camp, running from July 7 to Aug. 13. Mr. Brucculeri said he will be drilling kids on how to enter and exit the water, transition between running and swimming, and how to swim through waves with different types of rescue equipment.
“You want to get kids who are motivated to be at the beach and be in the ocean and be in the waves, and then turn them into rescue swimmers,” said Mr. Brucculeri.
Mr. Brucculeri has been teaching swimming lessons for decades and ran a junior lifeguard program in California. He is also a certified lifeguard instructor, but pointed out that the Red Cross lifeguard certification — the only certification required in the state of Massachusetts for ocean lifeguards — does not include training measures for the unpredictable ocean conditions found on Island beaches.
“[The certification is] for still water, it’s for pools and bay guards,” said Mr. Brucculeri. “There doesn’t seem to be any real standard of training here in the state of Mass. So it’s kind of up to each individual beach to create their own.”
Starting kids early with lifeguard training not only helps increase the pool of potential guards, it trains them at a young age in the how to navigate the Island’s various beaches, each one unique in its challenges. Strong currents, riptides and huge waves are all part of the mix for the busy south shore beaches. Understanding not just the dynamics of the waters but also that training never stops is another piece of the puzzle.
Lifeguards at South Beach in Edgartown complete a week-long orientation before the season begins, and continue throughout the summer with daily drills and conditioning, said Edgartown parks commissioner Andrew Kelly.
Both Menemsha and Lucy Vincent beaches also hold training for lifeguards throughout the summer, said Chilmark beach superintendent Martina Mastromonaco. That includes CPR classes, ocean rescue and refreshers on emergency action plans.
Jen Passafiume, aquatics director at the YMCA, said she incorporates waterfront training into the standard deep water lifeguard classes that she runs each year, including extra skill work to prepare guards to work at beaches.
“The ability to get more kids in the water with a safety focus is huge, with the hope that the kids will be inspired and want to become lifeguards — it is such an important job,” said Ms. Passafiume.
In the last 12 months, Ms. Passafiume certified or re-certified 56 guards, she said.
For the first time in five years, Mr. Kelly has easily staffed his entire roster of guards, and Ms. Mastromonaco is optimistic about her own roster this year.
But each year brings with it new variables, and preparing for the future is key. Ms. Mastromonaco noted that it will still take a few years for the junior lifeguarding program to address the lifeguard shortage, but it will be a good start.
“Maybe it’ll spark interest,” especially among year-round residents, she said.
Another program working to prepare kids for rough ocean waters is the Ocean Athlete Training program, started last year by Brock Callen Jr., a professional sailor. The pilot program met twice a week this past winter at the YMCA to train middle and high schoolers to safely navigate the oceans that surround them.
“We see so many kids on this Island that want to get in the water, whether it’s sailing, or surfing,” said Mr. Callen. “What we found was that the ambitions didn’t quite always match up with the readiness from a safety standpoint.”
Mr. Callen said he saw firsthand the impact of ocean readiness with his middle son who, at 13 years old, has become much stronger in the water after training with the MAKO swim team and Mr. Callen’s ocean athlete program.
The program included swimming, breathwork and weight carrying drills. In total, Mr. Callen instructed 50 different students and community members this winter, he said. He hopes to expand the ocean athlete program next year, as does Ms. Passafiume.
It’s a year-round effort to staff beaches and get kids ocean ready, said Mr. Brucculeri, and many different organizations are taking it on.
“There’s all these people working toward the same goal of getting people better in the ocean and getting more guards out there,” he said.
Registration is currently open for the junior lifeguard program on the community center’s website: chilmarkcommunitycenter.org/registernow.
This article appears in April 17, 2026.