Despite dangerous rip currents and unique location, Cape May's lifeguards have a flawless record of success at America's first beach resort. Watch video
CAPE MAY -- It's a streak of perfection discussed in hushed tones: In 105 years since the Cape May Beach Patrol was formed, it has never had a drowning on a guarded beach.
Touted as America's first beach resort, Cape May draws more than 12 million people to its picture-book streets and pristine beaches each year. And despite its ominous location on the southernmost tip of New Jersey and at the confluence of the Delaware Bay -- meaning ocean currents run east to west and can change in an instant -- Cape May's lifeguards have made it their life's work to protect their remarkable legacy.
"It's humbling to have a record as auspicious," said Geoff Rife, one of the beach patrol's lieutenants. "It's something we take with us to the job every day. It's more of a humbling thing that we strive to continue to keep that record intact summer after summer."
Last summer, the beach patrol made 112 rescues, pulling 136 people from the water.
And this July -- with NJ Advance Media cameras rolling -- Cape May's perfect record was put to the test in one of the most frightening ways imaginable when a swimmer was caught in a rip current and went under.
Would this moment shatter their almost unthinkable and historic run of success?
Watch our documentary video below to find out.
Matthew Stanmyre may be reached at mstanmyre@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattStanmyre. Find NJ.com on Facebook.