Okaloosa Island lifeguards complete season with no drownings, 29 rescues

Lifeguards on Okaloosa Island recorded zero drownings and 29 rescues during the 2025 beach season, which ended Oct. 31, the county announced Monday.
Photo courtesy of Okaloosa County

Okaloosa County announced the seasonal lifeguard results Monday. Lifeguards recorded zero drownings and 29 rescues during the 2025 season on Okaloosa Island.

  • Lifeguards conducted more than 800,000 educational and preventative contacts with beachgoers throughout the season. The beach census recorded 1,844,420 visitors to Okaloosa Island beaches during the 2025 season.

With the seasonal lifeguard season concluded, full-time lifeguard staff will shift to a response and patrol schedule from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Beach flag text alerts will resume in the spring.

Information about the Beach Safety division and lifeguard employment opportunities is available at myokaloosa.com/ps/beach-safety.

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“What great memories. Thank you for sharing.”
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Scott Schaeffler commented on WordroW: October 28, 2026
“fail, argh”
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“Hello fellow divers! What depth will this beauty be laid to rest.?????”
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“My FREND of close to 70 years and I went on a European tour n the summer of 1965 and sailed out of NYC aboard this ship,,,,,she stll lives n...”
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Sue Schaeffler commented on WordroW: October 26, 2026
“1:58, 6 attempts”
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“Another article and still no mention of motive? The article is literally a repeat of the previous article.”
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“I recall one of the arguments for the need of an additional 1/2 cent tax was due to the extra cost of COVID modifications and procedures, and I supported it...”
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“Trusting in Trey Goodwin = INSANITY defined!! Year after year of empty promises... He's "frustrated". He doesn't know how to get it done - so it's about time to replace...”
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Scott Schaeffler commented on WordroW: October 23, 2026
“2:40, 6 attempts”
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