Waikiki Lifeguard Shortage Prompts City to Raise Starting Pay to $72,000

Facing a critical staffing shortage heading into peak summer season, the City and County of Honolulu has approved a 22 percent pay increase for ocean safety lifeguards, raising the starting salary to $72,000 annually.

The pay bump, effective May 1, was approved unanimously by the Honolulu City Council after months of warnings from the Ocean Safety Division that nearly a third of its positions remained unfilled. Currently, 47 of the division’s 148 authorized lifeguard positions are vacant — a shortfall that forced rolling closures at several Waikiki towers during spring break.

“We were down to skeleton crews on some of the busiest beaches in the world,” said Ocean Safety Chief Captain James Gaines. “People were swimming between the flags thinking they were protected, and sometimes there was nobody in the tower.”

The salary increase brings Honolulu’s lifeguard pay closer to parity with mainland coastal cities like San Diego and Los Angeles, which start guards between $68,000 and $78,000. Previously, Honolulu’s starting salary of $58,900 made it difficult to compete with private sector opportunities in tourism and construction.

Council Member Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, who introduced the measure, called it “long overdue.” He noted that Hawaii’s lifeguards handle more ocean rescues per capita than any state in the nation, with over 4,200 rescues recorded in 2025 alone.

The city expects the higher pay to attract applicants for a new recruit class beginning in June, with a goal of filling at least 30 vacant positions before the summer tourism surge. Candidates must hold current CPR certification, pass a 1,000-meter ocean swim test, and complete a 16-week training academy.