Lifeguards Continue after Labor Day at Island Beach State Park

If you plan to take advantage of balmy late summer dips in the ocean, safe swimming - in limited amounts - continues after Labor Day at Island Beach State Park in Ocean County.

Officials of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that supervision continues Fridays to Mondays through September at Ocean Bathing Area 1. Lifeguard stands are to be staffed between 10 AM and 5 PM each weekend.

Entry fees shrink after Labor Day, to $5 per car for New Jersey residents and $10 per car for out-of-staters.

The decision aligns with the Sustainable Parks Plan unveiled by Governor Chris Christie in November 2011, with the goal of achieving greater self-sustainability for parks through increased revenues that extended hours and programs can offer.

DEP officials describe Island Beach State Park as the last "significant remnants" of a barrier island ecosystem, and one of the few remaining undeveloped barrier beaches in the northern Atlantic region. Find out more about it here.