A spectacular forecast is on tap for the extended Fourth of July holiday weekend, and beach towns do not want a repeat of last weekend when dozens of swimmers got in trouble after guards went home.

“It was probably the busiest summer weekend of the year,” said Bill McKim.

It was a perfect storm on Sunday evening – hot weather, warm and rough water, and long daylight hours led to rescue after rescue as skeleton beach crews raced to multiple scenes.

“To hear their screams was unsettling,” said McKim.

McKim called police after seeing a group struggle in the water from his Belmar beach balcony. Minutes earlier, he took drone video showing the massive crowds still on the beach and in the water, just a half hour before guards went home on Sunday.

“There had to be, without exaggeration, 3,000 or more people on these beaches. For a skeleton crew to keep up with that, I think it’s a lot of work,” he said.

“At some point in the mid- to late-afternoon of each day, I’ll reach out to my town administrator and have that conversation based on how the day is going,” said Tony Hipsley, the chief lifeguard for Spring Lake.

Hipsley evaluates his 2 miles of patrolled beaches and will order skeleton crews on standby at the two pavilions if conditions are ripe for potential problems. He says asking the full staff to stay is asking a lot.

“Especially if it’s an active day, it’s physically exhausting, mentally exhausting and the guards who are here for an eight or nine-hour shift are not going to be fresh to do another two, three, four hours if needed,” said Hipsley.

Many local budgets simply can’t afford to hire extra staff or can’t find the extra bodies.

“We’re in an area where every town along the Jersey Shore, Ocean and Monmouth County, we’re all competing for the same lifeguards,” said William Bryan Dempsey, the Spring Lake borough administrator. “Having people on the stand after 6 p.m. gives people a false sense of security that we’re here. We prefer them to be stationed somewhere if the call comes out.”

Lifeguards and staff are paid in most Shore towns through beach-generated revenue. Many towns are reporting a slow start to the budget season because of the less-than-ideal weather conditions that plagued the beaches between Memorial Day weekend and Father’s Day weekend.

Whether you’re visiting Spring Lake or any other beach town, the message from the top is always the same - once the lifeguards on the stand go home for the day, stay safe by staying out of the water.