Family Tides
Now in his 11th year with the Ocean City Beach Patrol (OCBP), longtime lifeguard Mike Bell had a hunch his sons would follow in his footsteps.
He spent 21 summers guarding Sea Isle City beaches before coming to Ocean City, where his sons often visited him. Between lifeguard workouts and swim programs, the seeds were planted early.
“I always hoped for it,” he said of his sons joining him in the stand one day.
Today, Mike’s sons Nick and Matt are on the OCBP. Their older brother, Jack, was also a lifeguard.
“When we were young, we’d go to his beach in Sea Isle, and he’d always make us do the lifeguard workouts on the beach,” Matt said. “Our parents always set us up in swim programs and stuff — we were always kind of conditioned on that path. I remember always kind of being scared of swimming in the ocean, so I wasn’t really looking forward to becoming a lifeguard. But eventually, when I did try out, I got used to it, and now I love the job.”
Nick is going into his sixth year, and Matt, a soon-to-be Ocean City High School graduate, is in his third. Their cousin Kyle Bell is also on the patrol, making it a full family affair.
“I’m really grateful that my sons got a chance to do what I do and that they enjoyed it and stayed with it a few years because I had to push each of them to try out. They weren’t signing up right away,” Mike said. “I knew they would love it. It’s a great job.”
Nick said he couldn’t “ask for a better job.”
“I’m so glad my dad pushed us all toward it,” Nick said. “Now that we’re on the patrol, all of us can probably say it’s the best job we’ve had and probably will ever have.”
Across South Jersey beaches, lifeguarding is more than a summer job — for some, it’s a legacy.
Lifeguarding also runs in the Roseland family, with father Todd and son Kyle. But their journey to the stand took a different path.
Kyle is in his fourth year with the OCBP, while Todd is joining as a rookie this summer.
And the family tradition may not end there: Kyle’s younger brother Kevin is set to take the rookie test and hopes to join them.
But this isn’t Todd’s first time in the stand. Growing up, his parents rented a house in Ocean City every July, and he guarded for two summers in the late ’80s before stepping away.
“I was in college at the time and all the money I made over the summer I spent on rent, so I had nothing to show for it at the end of the summer. So, I had to give it up,” Todd explained.
Still, lifeguarding wasn’t far from his mind, and he made sure his sons and daughter learned to swim early.
“I was thrown in the pool before I could walk, basically,” Kyle said, who tried out for the OCBP at 17. “Every time we came to Ocean City before we bought this house, my dad was teaching us how to run through the waves and surf dash. I started surfing when I was 6 years old. So the ocean just always has been my absolute favorite thing.”
Todd is eager to return to the stand — this time alongside his sons.
“Had I had the opportunity, had we had a house down here, I would have kept on doing it. It was the best job I ever had. I wanted to relive my youth, so to speak, with these guys,” Todd said, noting he hopes Kevin will be able to join him in rookie school. “They sort of inspired me to do it again and sit with them.”
For the Bell family, working together has offered a new perspective — even helping them get to know each other a bit better.
“I got to know them a little better, and I trust them. Matthew and I have spent the most time on the stand together, almost two summers together. We have similar interests. Maybe I rubbed off on them. They like classic rock,” Mike said, adding with a laugh that they’ve listened to some nonfiction audiobooks.
“We listen to a lot of audiobooks, like Dave Grohl,” Matt said with a smile.
The pair has developed some routines together, such as surfing in the morning and afternoon and listening to the song “Closing Time” by Semisonic on their bike ride home.
They’ve also been able to lean on each other during the job’s tougher moments.
“Matthew and I have worked together on some of the worst rip current days at the end of the season when the college kids have left, like late in August. A couple of summers in a row, we were going out on 12 or more rescues a day,” Mike said. “Some of the toughest days I’ve had, Matthew was right there with me.”
It’s a chance, too, for the fathers to soak up time with their growing children.
“As they’ve gotten older, I spend less and less time with them. Unless we’re on a car ride or something, and even then, sometimes they’re in the backseat doing their own thing. But on the stand together, it forces you to spend some time together that we probably wouldn’t do otherwise. We have fun together,” Mike said.
For both the Bell and Roseland families, the beach represents togetherness, family and a sense of home. Kyle said some of his fondest memories are from the time they spent in Ocean City as a family — with everyone in one spot — growing up.
“This is just always where we’ve all been together. This is where I’ve made some of the best memories with my family just growing up and even until now. It’s just my favorite place to be,” Kyle said.
“And this is just one more memory we’re making,” Todd added.
Madison Russ is an award-winning journalist, copy editor and adjunct professor of communication based in Atlantic County. An Ocean City native, Madison is passionate about telling stories that matter to locals, often spotlighting nonprofits and exploring the area’s vibrant arts scene.
