RODANTHE, N.C. — Lifeguards are now serving the Rodanthe Beach Access on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, officials with the National Park Service (NPS) announced Saturday.
The beach stand will be staffed with lifeguards every day of the week between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. through August 11.
"There are a lot of areas of beach that are very populated, but without a stand," said Jack Cohen, a lifeguard stationed at Coquina Beach who acknowledged that the added stand will help improve coverage of the miles-long stretch of shoreline along the national seashore.
"The Outer Banks is beginning to add stands to areas that needed them, and that’s just the first," he added.
The announcement comes in the midst of a busy July 4th weekend for ocean rescuers up and down the Outer Banks.
Kill Devil Hills Ocean Rescue noted that their staff performed 29 ocean rescues between Friday and Sunday of the holiday weekend. Chicamacomico Banks Fire and Rescue -- which covers Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo -- noted 21 ocean rescues between Saturday and Sunday on their social media pages as well.
“Lifeguard beaches are the safest places to swim along the Outer Banks,” David Hallac, the NPS superintendent for eastern North Carolina, wrote in a news release. “The Seashore is grateful for the new partnership with Dare County to bring lifeguard services to the tri-village area of Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo.”
The services come as part of a partnership between Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Dare County, North Carolina.
This marks the fifth beach along Cape Hatteras National Seashore that is staffed with lifeguards this summer, the other ones being Coquina Beach Access, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Beach Access, Frisco Beach Access and Ocracoke Beach Access.
Drew Pearson, Dare County's Director of Emergency Management, noted the added stand is the first time ever the two agencies have partnered to bring a lifeguard stand at the Rodanthe Beach Access point.