Jessica Hober, Tara Cibula, and Meghan King

We all know the stereotype: good-looking, deeply-tanned lifeguards who relax all day and seem more preoccupied with attracting members of the opposite sex than they do with saving lives. Not the case for these three friends. Jessica Hober, Tara Cibula and Meghan King are smart, fit, on-the-ball girls who approach their jobs not only with solemn commitment, but also with a sincere gratitude for the chance to spend as much time as they do near the water.

"I grew up on these beaches," said Meghan, who is a "navy brat" and has lived on the coast her whole life, including annual visits to her grandparents on Hilton Head Island. "I actually have pictures of my sister and me playing in the tidal pools with the lifeguard standing behind us. Fifteen years later, that is us."

Those fifteen years were spent swimming, something which she learned to do at age three. She swam all through high school, as did Tara and Jessica, before the three met as members of the St. Bonaventure swim team. Bonaventure is a small college in Western New York and all three were lured there by academic and athletic scholarships, as well as the close-knit, all-girl swim team. They credit the rigorous practice schedule and demanding competitions for the strong work ethic they all possess today.

Having each done a bit of lifeguarding in their respective hometowns-at pools, campgrounds, lakes, etc.-they felt prepared to make the switch to beach action. Meghan started working for Shore Beach Service on Hilton Head in 2005, and the following summer she convinced her two friends to come down with her. They took classes, got their basic Red Cross certifications and passed a 500-meter swim test that was "like nothing" for them after the intense workouts they were used to on the swim team. Now they are constantly refining their skills with company-sponsored training sessions.

"People think we're just out there relaxing and getting a tan, but we are responsible for everyone in the water and we take that seriously," said Tara. "Our lifeguarding is proactive so we try to stop dangerous situations before they occur."

Any given day might include incidents like heat stroke, exhaustion, dehydration, heart attack, injuries, stings inflicted by jellyfish or sting rays and even lost children. The majority of incidents they respond to are land-based and none of the three have ever had to save a drowning person. But they do pull people out of the water who are "making them nervous." Meghan once felt compelled to stop a seven-year-old boy on a boogie board who was paddling so furiously towards open water, it was obvious he was intent on reaching the middle of the Atlantic. When a concerned stranger thanked Meghan for her decisive action, his appreciative words were enough to counteract the countless times a day she receives the rather condescending comment, "Wow, what a job."

"It looks glamorous but it's not," assures Jessica. "You're always trying to think of the skills that you learned and how you could apply them as fast as possible if someone runs up to you with a situation. It's pretty intense."
But what better to soothe the stresses of an intense work day than, well, the beach.

"The beach is the happiest place I've ever been," said Tara. "I love it. Every morning I walk down to the beach and just take a second to stop and smile and say, this is really my job. I am the luckiest person in the world."