Cause I'm always ready, I won't let you out of my sight
Il tenente Mitch Buchannon è il caposquadra dei bagnini delle spiagge di Emerald Bay, in Florida, assieme alle due fidate colleghe Stephanie Holden e C.J. Parker. Essendo rimasti liberi tre posti vengono indette delle selezioni, che vengono vinte dal borioso ex campione olimpico di nuoto Matt Brody, dall'intelligente Summer Quinn e dall'imbranato esperto di informatica Ronnie (al suo terzo tentativo e innamorato di C.J.). Nel frattempo giunge ad Emerald Bay la nuova proprietaria dell'esclusivo Huntley Club, Victoria Leeds, su cui pendono delle voci riguardo il fatto che sia a capo del traffico di una pericolosissima droga chiamata "Flakka".
Mitch receives news of his uncle's death. He recruits Hobie, Eddie and Shauni to trek to northern California's rugged gold country where he learns his uncle may have found the golden boot. Eddie and Shauni are having problems in their relationship when Eddie is accepted into a year-long lifeguard exchange program in Australia.
Drew shoots at the raft. Shauni is taken hostage, and pushed off the cliff. After Eddie and Mitch save her, she finds out that she's not pregnant. Eddie proposes to her. Mitch climbs down with the help of a rope and finds the golden boot; Jed arrives at the trailer. Eddie marries Shauni and they move to Australia.
A woman from Mitch's past becomes one of his fellow lifeguards and stirs up memories for Mitch; Matt must contend with surfers wanting to take over part of the beach.
Mitch and Stephanie discover a dead man on some rocks; C.J. meets a couple on their honeymoon named Dennis and Arlene; unfortunately Dennis falls in love with C.J. and ends up deceiving both her and his wife.
The governor holds a speech on the pier; three bad guys plan to blow the pier into pieces with a boat. Garner meets his sister's old friend Wendi again.
Mitch's parents come to visit; Al, Mitch's father, wants him to take over his architectural firm; Summer must tell Jackie about her horrible nightmares.
Guido tells Mitch that he has started a new business called Windows by Guido; a Captain named Rolf Angstrom visits headquarters; a drug dealer escapes.
Stephanie is shot off the cruise boat by a drug dealing women and Mitch jumps in to save her. They struggle to stay afloat in the water; Matt and C.J. win big in the casino; Summer gets worried when she can not find Mitch.
A murderer escapes from prison; Kilmer and Stephanie drive to Summer's tower where Kilmer takes them hostage; Hobie makes a periscope for his science class.
An actress, who is running from two crooks, is saved by Mitch. He decides to help her capture them; Guido attempts to convince his visiting mother that he is a lifeguard.
Three teens are trapped on some cliffs with massive waves surrounding them; Mitch is soon paralyzed from the cliffs; Riddick is sent to L.A. to kill Jason.