$21.58 - $36.26 Hourly
This is a part-time hourly position, with 40 hours of sick leave per year and PARS retirement.
We're on the lookout for Reserve Harbor Patrol Officers / Patrol Crew to join our team! If you love the Morro Bay Harbor and want to serve Harbor users, this job is for you!
As a Reserve Harbor Patrol Officer, you'll be responsible for everything from boater assistance and emergency response to maintaining our waterfront facilities and boats. You'll also be a key source of information and assistance to the general public, so strong communication skills are a must!
If you're up for the challenge, here's what we're looking for:
As a Harbor Patrol Officer or Harbor Crew member, you will perform a wide variety of public services, including patrolling the Morro Bay harbor and waterways, beaches, and parking areas; enforcing local and state laws regulating boating operations, public safety, boater assistance, emergency response including medical aid and firefighting, maintenance of City waterfront facilities and boats, marine wildlife assistance, information and assistance to the general public and related work as required. This job is enhanced by the collaboration with other agencies, including the Coast Guard, Police, Fire, State Parks, and Fish and Wildlife. The experience you draw from this ever-changing environment is vast and filled with a sense of being a part of the waterfront community. Every day is different at this job. You must be self-motivated to work independently but at the same
time, a dedicated team player.
We are an energetic, close-knit team that together meets the ever-changing challenges of the Harbor and waterfront activities. The Department consists of a Harbor Director, a Harbor Business Coordinator, a Harbor Patrol Supervisor, 4 Harbor Patrol Officers plus Reserve Officers, a part-time office assistant, and Beach Lifeguards.
Forget monotony when you join the tight-knit Morro Bay Harbor Patrol team. You may start our morning by welcoming a sailboat to the Morro Bay Harbor and assisting them with slip or mooring rental. After an hour of physical training (swimming, paddling, running, etc.), you get a call for an overturned kayaker. Once the kayaker is brought to safety, you assist the Marine Mammal Center in capturing a sick sea lion on the beach. Later that day you are called by a fishing boat with engine trouble a couple miles outside the Harbor. You and your partner tow the boat back to the harbor averting the potential for injury or property damage. Patrol hours are approximately sunrise to sunset, so you head home to dinner with your family and friends, where you talk about how you and your fellow Harbor Patrol Officers made Morro Bay a safer place.
POSITIONS AVAILABLE:
RESERVE HARBOR PATROL CREW PAY RANGE: $21.58 - $24.99
RESERVE HARBOR PATROL BOAT OPERATOR PAY RANGE: $26.25 - $28.97
RESERVE HARBOR PATROL OFFICER PAY RANGE: $34.51 - $36.26
EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS:
PLEASE SEE EACH JOB DESCRIPTION FOR A COMPLETE LISTING OF REQUIREMENTS PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING CONDITIONS: Active physical work without prolonged heavy exertion, but with continuous exposure to unpleasant elements such as dust, mud, fumes, odors, dampness, raw or treated sewage, noise levels, or outside weather conditions. On feet most of the time involving bending, stooping, squatting, twisting, reaching, working on irregular surfaces; frequent lifting of objects up to 25 lbs., with occasional lifting of objects weighing over 50 lbs. Must be able to communicate information to other workers via radio.
APPLICATION PROCESS: Individuals can apply through the City website at https://www.morrobayca.gov/832/Employment-Opportunities
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Applications will be accepted until September 8th by 5:00pm
All applications received will be reviewed for completeness and job-related qualifications. Those candidates possessing the most desirable qualifications will be invited to participate in the selection process which includes:
We will have a testing date for those who qualify: September 9, 2026.
Swim requirement: 500 yards in 10 minutes or less in the bay. Goggles are permitted, no fins allowed, wetsuit is recommended.
Contact Harbor Patrol Supervisor Becka Kelly at bkelly@morrobayca.gov (805) 772-6254 for any questions about the testing procedures or to schedule a ride-a-long..
The successful candidate must pass the City’s background check
Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. It is the City's policy to ensure equal employment opportunity for all persons seeking employment or promotion to assure equal employment opportunity based upon ability and fitness to all persons regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, childbirth, breast-feeding, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity, gender expression, genetic characteristics or information, military or veteran's status, and/or any other category protected by federal and/or state law.
The City of Morro Bay is a vibrant waterfront community located on the Central Coast of California. Known for its temperate, mild climate year-round, it is a tourist destination frequented by many seeking cooler temperatures as well as its status as one of the few working fishing ports in the state.
The City is a major destination for visitors seeking outdoor adventure and appreciation of the pristine environment, with opportunities for bird watching, marine mammal viewing (including seals, otters, and whales), kayaking, paddling boarding, surfing, biking, boat tours and more.
The City of Morro Bay government has approximately 80 employees and is a full-service municipality. The focus of governance continues to be preserving the quality of life and enhancing economic development opportunities at both the waterfront and the Downtown Business District.
