ByMatteo Iadonisi 
Wednesday, September 24, 2025 6:45PM
Former Ocean City lifeguard Conor Plasha took the leap to become a rescue swimmer with the United States Coast Guard.
OCEAN CITY, New Jersey — Conor Plasha grew up watching helicopters fly over the beaches of Ocean City. Now, he jumps out of them to perform rescues with the Coast Guard.
Plasha is an Aviation Survival Technician 3rd Class (AST3). Within a typical flight crew, he is the one designated to descend from the helicopter and perform rescues in the water.
He is currently stationed at the United States Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City.
Prior to that, he spent 8 years as a lifeguard in the Ocean City Beach Patrol. He then spent time living in Florida as a middle school teacher dabbling in ocean rescue.
Recently, Plasha had the opportunity to perform a training demonstration in tandem with his old colleagues from the Ocean City Beach Patrol.
Watch the video above to see that demonstration and hear more of Plasha’s story.