The 2026 Lifeguard Awards presented by the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce was held on Tuesday, August 11, hosted by the Big Chill Beach Club. This annual celebration honors the outstanding men and women of the ten beach patrols serving the Quiet Resorts area, with each patrol nominating a “Lifeguard of the Year” to be honored at the ceremony.

As chosen by patrol captains and peers, the 2026 Lifeguards of the Year are James Degnan, Bethany Beach Patrol; Duncan Proxmire, Delaware State Beach Patrol; Scott Larson, Fenwick Island Beach Patrol; Brooke Kenyon, Middlesex Beach Patrol; Ocean Ruckdeschel, North Bethany Beach Patrol; Helton Young, Ocean Village Beach Patrol; Patrick O’Halloran, Seabreak Beach Patrol; Ethan O’Kelly, Sea Colony Beach Patrol; James Baffone, South Bethany Beach Patrol; and Cooper Rhoades, Sussex Shores Beach Patrol. This year’s lifeguards of the Year were honored with a custom plaque created by Wildfish, LLC and a gift card courtesy of Clove and Cedar Coffee.

The ceremony also recognized members of the 2026 Sussex County Lifesaving Association for their achievements at this year’s United States Lifesaving Association National Lifeguard Championship, where they finished in first place for the third year in a row. The Chamber sponsors the SCLA’s travel to the annual USLA Nationals competition, held this year in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. A check in the amount of $2,000 was presented to SCLA President, Matt Farlow, and members of the 2026 SCLA team were gifted commemorative team bandanas.

The generosity of sponsor support makes this event possible and free for guards to attend. The 2026 sponsors are Presenting Sponsor: Big Chill Beach Club; Supporting Sponsors: Fells Point Surf Co. and Taylor Bank; Patrol Sponsors: Banks Wines & Spirits, Law Offices of Scott & Shuman, P.A., Mediacom, PNC Bank, Sea Colony Recreation, and Surfin’ Betty’s Burger Bar; Buoy Sponsor: Bank of Ocean City, Community Bank Delaware, L&W Insurance, Pelican Property Management, Scherer Financial Advisors, and Trendy Shore Boutique; and Whistle Sponsors: Clove and Cedar Coffeebar and Gladwyn Financial Advisors.

This year’s event featured a limited-edition event t-shirt including all ten patrol rosters, sponsored by Fells Point Surf Co. Shirts were free to guards to pre-registered and all additional shirt sales support the SCLA. For post-event shirt sales, call the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce at (302)539-2100 or contact info@thequietresorts.com.

For more information, including photos and past “Lifeguard of the Year” award recipients, visit thequietresorts.com/lifeguard-awards.