82-Year-Old New Jersey Lifeguard Gets Guinness World Record for Oldest Working Beach Guard

At 82, Ed Kiziukiewicz stands watch over Bay Head Beach, New Jersey. His six decades of service earned him the Guinness World Record for the oldest active beach guard in April 2025.

"I'm a teacher and I'm a learner," said Kiziukiewicz to NJ Advance Media. "The ocean and nature have something to show you. There's something to learn every year."

His watch started at Island Beach State Park in 1962. Back then, an 18-year-old Kiziukiewicz earned $1.52 hourly, wearing the standard leather belt of that era.

His career took him across the Jersey Shore. He led teams at Island Beach State Park, Lavallette, and Midway Beach. Two decades ago, he found his home at Bay Head Beach after training guards at Ship Bottom.

From his stand, he scans the surf with sharp eyes. "I keep trying to emphasize to the kids that sit with me that a dry lifeguard is a good lifeguard. In other words, you see what is happening in front of you and try to keep people from getting into trouble," he said.

"Ed's a permanent fixture here," said Ed Stahlin, a beachgoer, according to Fox 5 NY. "You can see him any day of the week talking to the younger guards, pretty much mentoring 'em."

Since joining the United States Life Saving Association in the mid-1980s, he has shaped New Jersey's guard training standards. His expertise takes him nationwide as a judge at lifeguard events.

When first pitched the world record idea last December, he shied away. "I'm a nice, low-key guy. I like it the way it is. I don't need any notoriety," he said.

Dylan Johnson, his twice-weekly partner on duty, shared: "He's taught me a lot about the currents, the tides. He doesn't really act his age. He's very young at heart."

Winter finds him on the slopes, teaching ski lessons: a passion spanning four decades. His sights are set on next summer's beach season, health willing.