North Shore Lifeguards | Never Off Duty
Never Off Duty Reach Out | Donate
"With our job, you can’t slip. At any moment, it could cost you your life."
The North Shore, Oahu, is considered to be the surfing Mecca of the world, attracting the worlds best surfers, as well as the least experienced shoreline spectators, to its huge, glassy, wintry dates. This is one of the toughest coastlines to work, due to its popularity and abundance of hypnotising breaks, yet it is patrolled and watched over by the exceptional North Shore Lifeguards.
We were there to discover exactly what keeps these men putting their lives on the line for complete strangers, day after day. The reality and truth of their situation surpassed our every expectation as we learnt many of these men dedicate themselves freely to save the lives of others…
They’re the modern-day guardians of the sea, minding one of the most dangerous coastlines on the globe. The North Shore Lifeguard Association was founded in 1996 by the Honolulu City and County Lifeguards who work and live in district three (North Shore, Oahu Beaches). The club was organized to help fulfill the need for ocean safety and lifesaving education within the North Shore community.
The stereotypical view of the job of a lifeguard conjures up a lifestyle that is exotic, plenty of time to keep fit, opportunity for travel, languishing on the beach and in the surf, learning new skills… what is there not to like? This has to be the coolest job on the planet! For the North Shore Lifeguards in Hawaii, it is all that but so much more. We don’t often encounter people who can identify the core belief behind what they do, but after speaking with Jason Bitzer, one of the team’s leaders, we have a whole new insight into this group of guys, their complete dedication to their job and to the world of lifesaving.
Most of the men we spent time with were high-energy people, wired to be active and vigilant. They are at one with the sea and read its every mood and deception; navigating the waves and riptides and keeping a close watch in the vulnerable in the wash and flow of the surf. The magnetism of the ocean pulls at them - to be too far from it for too long is unsafe on so many levels. “If you’re out of the ocean for any length of time, it doesn’t recognise you.” Jason explained the paradox in their lives - they need the calming, soulful influence of the ocean which by its very nature, creates the high-pressured and unpredictable job for the lifeguards. Yet, they know that the influence of the ocean keeps them safe from the damage and the superficiality of society.
This well-oiled team is constantly putting itself at risk, ever vigilant for the first sign of trouble and responding with superior efficiency and skill. They seem to have an instinctive feel for danger lurking beneath the surface and can detect the subtle change in the water, as waves begin to morph and womb into something more than treacherous. They have to trust their instincts, “trusting in what you know you can do, is the best way to do it,” states Jason as he habitually scans the waves. These true professionals, selflessly protecting and safeguarding long stretches of beach, are inspirational in their enormous knowledge of the ocean and their passion to serve.
Surfers are out all hours, “we want to cover the beach from sunup to sundown.” Other frontline services are on call 24/7, yet these sea warriors are severely hampered by restrictions on their working hours. The truth is, that many lives have been saved by lifeguards after work hours, which has provided much of the emotional and mental pressure to have a constant presence on the beaches. Despite the threat to their own lives, these men never hesitate to get into the water because a high risk rescue is what they have been doing all of their lives. Jason quoted “You never know the value of the guy in the box until you need him”.
As a sign of Jason’s generous nature, he initiated the non-profit organisation Never Off Duty (NOD) which is formed of a team of big wave surfers, who are mostly firefighters, medics and lifeguards that have magnanimously reached out to some of the most popular, unguarded beach resorts around the world. The team of volunteers is expanding in response to the growing need for trained lifeguards on busy beaches in other countries. The organisation is dependant on external funding to keep the project alive and to extend it to even more unguarded beaches. Very little recognition is given to these selfless and inspiring individuals, yet men dedicate themselves freely to provide training and certification of lifeguards, to ensure that beaches in countries such as Indonesia and Panama are safe to use.
Jason and his team believe that the saving of lives is a skill that should be shared freely, wherever the need exists and those who are willing to learn. This is a dedication and passion seldom encountered in any sphere of work.
To find out more about how you can support Never Off Duty, get in touch of visit www.neveroffduty.org.
With a massive mask need for first responders we have pivoted our Priority of community first aid kits @nod_neveroffduty to a donation of Masks to Lifeguards. We all want to get back to life as we know it and Memorial Day weekend is a stones throw away. Lifeguards are highly exposed and will be required to mask up. This unit is sourced and shipped from CA under CDC recommendations. It can be worn as a daily carry to prevent exposure or passing Covid along if you were a carrier. As well fits over a N95 professional respirator. We have been quite socially as we needed to find a vendor in the US with material and cut and sow. As well with Amazon tied up needed separate logistics. So we will pick pack and ship USPS for pre orders. Attached you see out designs. We have two designs one blue and one red color-ways w/ NOD logo. For every public sale we will donate another x2 masks to a lifeguard and or agency that expresses need. We might be able to get to a 3 to 1 ratio if we can get a large batch order in. If you can support DM @nod_neveroffduty with interest or PayPal your donation (Neveroffdutynod@gmail.com link in our IG bio) $22.50 for a buy one give two mask program. Our cost is $10 plus shipping per unit with logo being sold to public. They are high quality masks, we are giving non branded masks to guards so local agency’s can use them. The margins are tight but in the case there is overage at the end of crisis any funds will go to our community safety kits from @mymedicofficial and free first responder/lifeguard base certification for at risk youth seeking employment. One thing I noticed is as a Lifeguard I wash my face-shield/ cover up mask for my N95 daily carry. I use between 3-5 units rotating per week as they need to be cleaned after every work day. So this will be one of main Lifeguard needs through out the world to re open beaches.
NOD Reach Out - Donate
Instagram - @northshorelifeguardassociation / @nod_neveroffduty
Website - northshorelifeguards.org / neveroffduty.org
