Annual Mike Diveris Memorial Inter-Beach Lifeguard Competition Coming Soon

A big thanks to Hampton Coffee Company for keeping our community fueled with fresh, locally-roasted craft coffee and friendly service! Stop by one of their cafes or order online to enjoy a true taste of the Hamptons.

Want to spotlight your business? Sponsoring Patch connects your name to the trusted stories your neighbors love every day. Learn more by contacting Lisa Finn at lisa.finn@patch.com or 917-224-2809.

HAMPTON BAYS, NY — A popular inter-beach lifeguard competition is heading back to Hampton Bays.

Southampton Town Parks and Recreation officials announced that the annual Mike Diveris Memorial Inter-Beach Lifeguard Competition will take place on Tuesday, July 8, at Ponquogue Beach.

Town lifeguards will battle each other in teams over the course of seven events such as a distance swim, distance run, four-man long board paddle relay, landline rescue, 4 x 100-meter relay, run-swim-run, and the "ultra-competitive" beach flags events, organizers said.

Since 2019, the event has been named for local lifeguarding legend Mike Diveris, who passed away on June 17 of that year.

A town lifeguard for more than three decades, he was among the first to pass the arduous Suffolk County ocean certification test in 1970.

In addition to serving on the sand, Diveris taught first and fourth-grade at Hampton Bays Elementary School from 1971 to 2001, and then in the high school’s social studies department. As a football coach, he led the Hampton Bays varsity team to a league championship in 1987, and also coached for the Westhampton Beach School District.

Lifeguarding colleagues donated a bench and plaque in his honor, located Ponquogue Beach.

The namesake contest has typically been a precursor to the East Hampton Main Beach competition held each July and the USLA National Lifeguard Championship in August. In the latter event, Southampton, East Hampton, and Montauk guards typically join forces to compete as the Hampton Lifesaving Association.