To interact with young people on a regular basis keeps you young, it’s a Peter Pan concept. It’s something I do at 72 years of age just as I did at 17. It’s the one continuous link that has traveled through my whole life, from my generation to my children’s generation to my grandchildren’s generation. It’s healthy, it keeps me active.”

South Shore Beach lifeguard Bruce Meirowitz

It wasn’t until May that Bruce Meirowitz, Rhode Island’s oldest lifeguard, realized just how notable he was. For him, the achievement wasn’t so obvious — he’s used to Jones Beach, a rowdier, highly-populated shoreline in Long Island where lifeguards of all ages patrol the coast. But when he moved to Newport two years ago and began lifeguarding at South Shore Beach, the distinction became more clear.

“Right before I left Jones Beach, there were 530 lifeguards,” Meirowitz noted. “I was number two in seniority just at that beach alone, and there were other guards who came close to me within a couple of years. I was not an oddity.”

But at South Shore, that was a different story; the realization came, Meirowitz recalled, when he attended Rhode Island’s Ocean Certification test three months ago and asked one of the DEM organizers who the oldest lifeguard was. “He gave me the name, and it wasn’t me. I asked how old he was, and was told that he was 71. I said, ‘Well, I’m older.’ I had him beat by a year.”

Born in 1951, Meirowitz turned 72 last April, making him the oldest lifeguard in the state. Despite the title, he swears his job puts a spring in his step.

“To interact with young people on a regular basis keeps you young, it’s a Peter Pan concept,” he said. “It’s something I do at 72 years of age just as I did at 17. It’s the one continuous link that has traveled through my whole life, from my generation to my children’s generation to my grandchildren’s generation. It’s healthy, it keeps me active.”

Not all beaches are made the same, though, and Meirowitz can attest to this firsthand.

“Comparing Jones Beach and South Shore is like comparing apples to oranges,” he said, before acknowledging South Shore’s laidback and relaxed family environment.

“Jones Beach was open to a very large quantity of the public, and it attracted a crowd that was much less water-savvy than South Shore. We’d be responsible for watching 3,000 people, our eyes would be glued to the shoreline. There was a certain level of anxiety—at Jones Beach I did everything from hiccups to heart attacks, and over the course of my career made hundreds and hundreds of rescues ... I bring a lot of that experience to South Shore.”

Meirowitz is just one of South Shore’s 18-member fleet that keeps the beach running smoothly, and he considers himself fortunate to be part of it. Unlike many other beaches, he says, Little Compton’s public beach has what head lifeguard Craig Schmidt calls “community lifeguarding” — not only are the lifeguards monitoring the water, but they’re interacting with beachgoers and informing parents about safety and water conditions.

“It’s much more personal,” said Meirowitz. “South Shore is still like a well-kept secret in many ways ... it’s a very special place.”

When asked what has kept him coming back to lifeguarding for over five decades, Meirowitz was quick to reply:

“It’s a natural love for the ocean. The ocean is a living entity, it changes every single day. It never bores you, it’s always different. It’s hard to have a bad day at the beach.”