By Grace Galbreath
WILDWOOD CREST – Say hello to our next lifeguard of the week, AJ Caruso! Born and raised in Voorhees, New Jersey, AJ spends his summers in Wildwood Crest. AJ’s love for the ocean, which began from a very young age, led him to become a member of the Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol.
The Caruso family has owned their house in Wildwood Crest for over 50 years, and the people that AJ has met over the years have shaped his time in the Crest. “There are so many people that I have met throughout the years. The people who hang around are like my brothers and sisters now. The ones that I have been around with for a while. It’s really like a family,” he said.
This summer will be AJ’s ninth summer working as a member of the beach patrol, and over the years he has made quite an impact in the Wildwood community. In 2019, AJ founded his own non-profit organization, Love Blue. Based in Wildwood Crest, Love Blue works to keep the beaches clean and eliminate pollution through weekly beach cleanups.
“After all the lifeguards would get off the beach, we would see all the trash that was left behind. Myself and a couple other lifeguards and surfers in the community came together and started hosting weekly beach cleanups. We would post them on our social media. It kind of just started snowballing from there throughout the summer,” said AJ.
AJ says Love Blue’s cleanups are some of his fondest beach memories. The weekly cleanups also help inspire younger members of the beach patrol to get involved in the community.
“The best part about my job is getting to know the ocean and gaining that appreciation for it! That’s what really led me to start Love Blue and everything I’ve done with that. If I wasn’t a lifeguard, I don’t think Love Blue would have ever happened,” he said.
When not guarding, AJ can be found working at Fins Bar & Grill in Cape May or spending time on the beach. “I am a big surfer. If I can get any wave time, I am out there surfing or spending time in nature,” he said.
AJ regularly guards on Buttercup Road in Wildwood Crest, so stop by this summer and say hello! If he’s not on the stand, you can find him leading one of Love Blue’s beach cleanups.