The lifeguard competition begins in Rehoboth Beach next Wednesday. (Photo courtesy of City of Rehoboth Beach)
REHOBOTH BEACH — Some of the East Coast’s top lifeguards will head to Rehoboth Beach this month as the city’s beach patrol hosts the 2025 United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships.
The event, which serves as a qualifier for the USLA National Lifesaving Championships in California this August, will take place Wednesday, July 9, beginning at 8 a.m.
Competitions will be held in front of the Rehoboth Beach Patrol’s (RBP) new headquarters on Baltimore Avenue.
“We’re excited to have the USLA Mid-Atlantics back on Rehoboth Beach,” said Rehoboth Beach Patrol Captain Jeff Giles. “We welcome everyone to come watch and support our guards.”
READ: Delaware releases ’25/’26 hunting and trapping guide as license sales begin
More than 300 lifeguards from New York to Virginia are expected to compete in a series of challenging surf and sand events.
These include the 90-meter sprint, a 2K beach run, 4×90 soft-sand beach relay, surf swim, and several rescue races involving swimmer retrieval, paddleboards, and landline techniques.
Events like the run-swim-run and beach flags will test both speed and strategy in real-world lifesaving scenarios.
The Mid-Atlantic Championships aren’t the only time spectators can see local lifeguards in action.
The 48th annual Rehoboth Beach Patrol Lifeguard Olympics will be held Thursday, July 24, starting at 4 p.m. On Monday, July 28, junior lifeguards from across Sussex County and Ocean City, Maryland will compete in their own contests, beginning at 4 p.m.
Both events also take place on the beach at Baltimore Avenue.
Founded in 1921, the Rehoboth Beach Patrol has earned a reputation as one of the nation’s premier lifesaving agencies, with more than a century of service and a 700-member alumni network dedicated to preserving its legacy of safety and excellence.
Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
Jarek can be reached by email at jarek@delawarelive.com or by phone at (215) 450-9982. Follow him on Twitter @jarekrutz and on LinkedIn.
Share this Post