There is a mist surrounding memories of summer at the beach, the action blurred by the static of sand or the waves’ unrest. Most mysterious of all to the average beachgoer are the lifeguards, aloof and omnipotent. They are the beach’s royalty. Observers can compare them to the ocean; like the sea, they possess strength, stamina and beauty. They live by an unfamiliar code and tell time by the turn of the tides.



Every summer, the lifeguards meet to battle the sand, waves and each other for the glory of calling themselves the champions of the beach. They compete on boards, in boats and alone amidst the waves in races that have generational history.



Enter the world of the summer lifeguards of South Jersey through the lens of Rusty Silverman; an Atlantic City-based photographer who has been capturing moments in the lives of the local lifeguards for decades. His pictures are as timeless as the endless, immortal days of summer.



-Clifford White