City of Lewes secures beach patrol for 2022 season

LEWES, Del. – The City of Lewes has announced that it has put together a beach patrol for the upcoming summer season.

The city had previously announced that Savannah Beach and Johnnie Walker Beach would not be guarded this summer due to staffing shortages and difficulty finding lifeguards. This news caught the attention of Captain Kent Buckson, current captain of the North Shores Beach Patrol and former captain of the Rehoboth Beach Patrol, who is a career lifeguard and is passionate about water safety. We’re told Buckson contacted Strohm Edwards, a career swim coach who worked as a lifeguard for Buckson for ten years, who agreed to serve as the new captain and assemble a beach patrol.

Lewes will have lifeguards at Savannah and Johnnie Walker Beaches this summer, starting Memorial Day weekend. However, the city is still recruiting and vetting candidates, officials do not expect to have a fully-staffed beach patrol until mid-June.