Longest career as a lifeguard (male), Chris Lewis sets world record

July 19, 2024

Bournemouth, Dorset, United Kingdom--Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Lifeguard Chris Lewis, 74, is keeping visitors safe on Bournemouth beach for 58 years, after working at the Dorset resort when he was 16, thus setting the world record for the Longest career as a lifeguard (male), according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

"Lewis, 74, began working at the Dorset resort when he was 16, meaning he has been coming to the aid of visitors and local swimmers for 58 years," The Guardian says.

"He is still fighting fit. RNLI lifeguards must complete a 400-metre pool swim in less than 7.5 minutes, the first 200 metres of which must be done in under 3.5 minutes. They have to do a 25-metre pool swim underwater and a 25-metre surface swim consecutively in less than 50 seconds, and run 200 metres along the beach in under 40 seconds.

"The swimming fitness tests are still reasonably comfortable for Lewis. All winter he has been doing 3,000 metres of sea swimming each month without a wetsuit. But a little hip trouble, the legacy of a rugby injury, can slow down his running. “I’ve been doing yoga to try to help with that,” he said."

"Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Lifeguard Chris Lewis MBE has been awarded an official Guinness World Records title, longest career as a lifeguard, for his service keeping visitors safe on Bournemouth beach for 58 years," the Royal National Lifeboat Institution says.

"Chris has been involved in lifeguarding and lifesaving since the age of 16 both as a volunteer and as a professional lifeguard – performing hundreds of rescues and thousands of lifeguard patrols. He became part of the RNLI lifeguard service in 2001 when the charity first provided beach patrols for local authorities and received an MBE in 2017 - the first RNLI lifeguard to be recognised with such an award.

"‘My most memorable rescue was here on Bournemouth beach, I saw three people including a 16-year-old girl, get into difficulty by the groynes. I managed to rescue all three of them, and as I came out of the water, the whole beach stood up and clapped. I’ll never forget it.’

The RNLI is urging anyone visiting the coast this summer to make sure they keep themselves and their families safe by following their beach safety advice.

Visit a lifeguarded beach and swim between the red and yellow flags.
Check the weather forecast, tide times and read local hazard signage to understand local risks.
For activities like paddleboarding or kayaking we recommend you wear a wetsuit, buoyancy aid or lifejacket and carry a means of calling for help in a waterproof pouch and keep it on you. Tell someone what you are doing, where you are going and when you expect to return.
If you are going open water swimming, use a wetsuit to keep you warm, wear a bright coloured swim hat and take a tow float to store personal items including a phone for emergencies.
If you fall into the water unexpectedly, FLOAT TO LIVE. Fight your instinct to thrash around, lean back, extend your arms and legs, and Float.
In an emergency dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands.

The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.

"The longest career as a lifeguard is 59 years and counting, achieved by Neath-born Chris Lewis (UK), who started volunteering as a lifesaver while still at school at the age of 15 in 1965 and still serves aged 72 as a volunteer beach lifeguard for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in Bournemouth, Dorset, UK, as of March 2024," the Guinness World Records says.

"A 72-year-old man from Bournemouth has set a world record for the longest career as a lifeguard. Chris Lewis has rescued hundreds of people across thousands of patrols. Chris has been involved in lifeguarding and lifesaving since the age of 16, both as a volunteer and as a professional lifeguard," the ITVX says.

"He became part of the RNLI lifeguard service in 2001, when the charity first provided beach patrols for local authorities. He received an MBE in 2017, making him the first RNLI lifeguard to be recognised with such an award.

"Chris Lewis describes it as "the best job in the world" and is still able to pass the tough fitness tests, seeing them as an excuse to stay fit and healthy."

"The world's longest-serving lifeguard has revealed how he met his soulmate - and wife of 49 years - on the job. Chris Lewis, from Bournemouth, started working with the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) at just 16 years old. And after 58 years, he has not only win a Guinness World Record for his efforts, but a lasting marriage as well," the Daily Mail says.

"When Richard Madeley quizzed Chris on what he could accomplish at his age, the lifeguard admitted that he could impressively swim 25m underwater and 25m on the surface in under 50 seconds. He can also swim 400m in a whopping six minutes and 45 seconds - a requirement of the job.

"When asked about his most memorable rescue, the experienced lifeguard recalled saving three children at once - but admitted it would be 'really difficult to know' how many people he's helped in total."

Photos: Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)