The Water Between Us
Every year, lives are lost to the water —
and nearly every one of those deaths is preventable. The Water Between Us follows mothers who transform their grief into a movement, and the a beach community that rises alongside of them to demand safer beaches, better education, and real change.
Beach 149. Rockaway.
Just a day before turning 17, Elyjha Chandler washes ashore after going missing at Jacob Riis Beach. The body of his best friend, Christian Perkins, appears the next morning near Beach 149.
In 2024, Elyjha and Christian joined the silent ranks of teenagers swept out to sea in the Rockaways, the deadliest shoreline in New York City..
Legal and Policy Status
Neither the City of New York nor New York State legally recognizes lifeguards as first responders. The state’s Public Officers Law does not include them in the same category as police or firefighters, which means they miss out on line-of-duty death benefits and priority healthcare protections.
