We have a wide array of patrons that come enjoy our pool and we are happy to see any of them!

We did have an incident yesterday, everyone is ok! However there was a wonderful Muslim woman with her family swimming. She wore all the appropriate modest swim wear made by a fantastic swim company that we have recommended to many of different religious backgrounds requiring different levels of modesty coverage.

The issue arose when she tried to follow her daughter into the deep end and slipped under. Yes we have a deep end rope, yes we whistled to her to get her to stop. She ignored us all and ducked under the deep end rope to discover the pool slopes down and gets deep fast.

The lifeguards on staff all responded quickly and efficiently. They pulled her out, cleared the pool ect. however she got very angry at them because one was a male lifeguard and she is not allowed physical contact with any man beyond her husband and son as an adult married women and then she was also angry that we had let her hijab fall back during the rescue, about half the top of her head was exposed.

We did immediately clear the pools and bring her to an area that is not visible to the public and the male guard stepped back as soon as she was safely out of the water and left her to the female guards.

However she is now wanting to file a lawsuit saying we did not respect her religious rights.

My manager is amazing and dealing with it however does anyone have any pointers or dealings with members of different religions that have such strict rules around opposite sex touching (even in a rescue) and things such as accidental exposure of limbs/hair ect.

We have never had such a case happen! We will be reviewing our waivers to include some sort of wording that gender baised rescue is not available and lifeguards will respond as needed to each situation (something along those lines, legal deparment is working on it)

Hello,

My name is Asli. I lost my boyfriend, the love of my life, to Shallow Water Blackout a few months ago. I was going to marry him and as you can imagine my life turned upside down. Nobody I talked to had any idea about Shallow Water Blackout unless they were a trained diver.

I am working with a nonprofit, UHBP, to raise awareness because I don’t want people to go through what I went through. An issue I have is I don’t know how prevalent it is, even though it is very real and dangerous. There have been cases of Division 1 Athletes and Olympian Medalists experiencing SWB. 

If you know anyone who has drowned unexpectedly or had a history of doing breath exercises/holding breath underwater, can you please DM me? I want to document cases of drownings of young, healthy adults/teens to try to estimate the prevalence of Shallow Water Blackout. I also want to create a support group for anyone who is going through what I did.

Also, if you have learned about SWB from me, can you please let me know? I promised myself that I want to reach out to as many people as possible so it would mean a lot. Thank you.

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P.S: Shallow Water Blackout is a loss of consciousness caused by low oxygen levels in the brain, triggered by hyperventilating or breath-holding underwater. Hyperventilating artificially lowers carbon dioxide levels. This is dangerous because the body's urge to breathe is governed by rising CO2 levels, not by falling oxygen, so a swimmer can run critically low on oxygen while still feeling perfectly fine, with no urge to breathe. Then, the swimmer blacks out, without warning or struggling. NEVER HYPERVENTILATE AND HOLD YOUR BREATH UNDERWATER. PLEASE.

So I was on stand at the competition pool at the rec I work at. The pool was set up for a slack line that ran across. In the shallow end, right under the slack line, two couples were playing chicken fight. I obviously told them to stop, but they keep arguing that they should be able to do it. This goes on until one of the genuinely asks if they can do chicken fight in the 13 foot end. I am no longer a believer in “no dumb questions”

I have just completed the first day of my NPLQ, I am completely mentally and physically drained, once I got home I had a really bad panic attack which has left me even more exhausted. The theory side of the NPLQ is okay for me but I am struggling with the swimming quite a lot, we haven’t done our timed swims yet (I’m doing that later today), but I’m not a strong swimmer and I don’t think I’m going to pass the swimming side of things. I don’t know what to do 😭

I just got my LSI and my supervisor (an LT) has asked me and another staff member who also got her LSI to co-teach a bronze medallion course. I was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to make everything run smoothly, because it is both of our first times teaching a life saving course. Also teaching emergency first aid with the bronze med.

I’m doing an NPLQ this week but have no prior training for any theory. I don’t know cpr, first aid, or anything like that. I was a swimmer growing up and so am not worried (although haven’t swam for a while), but am wondering if it’s okay that I don’t know much. I know I’ll be taught but I’m scared that I’ll be at a disadvantage or behind the other people.

I'm going on a NLPQ course this week. What can I expect and have anyone got any tips? I already have first aid experience in everything that's out of water stuff and very basic experience in pool of like how to swim with a casualty.

hi yall! ive been a lifeguard for 3 years now with both ellis and associates and red cross, ive also been a competitive swimmer since i was a kid but im applying for a new lifeguard job at my college rec center pool and part of the swim test is a 17ft brick dive in the dive well. the deepest ive ever done is 12ft. has anyone ever worked in this deep or deeper? any tips & tricks?

Im planning to take it after my national recertification. If so what kind of tests would it entail?

For context, my pool has a zero depth. I was roving and in on fifteen minute span I told two different kids multiple times not to run. They did the thing where they walk for a bit, then start running again. Both these kids slipped and fell on their fronts (no visible injuries, but they both cried for a minute) and I couldn’t help feeling vindicated.

I've always been a slide person but recently my slides I had just bought shrunk like 3 sizes in the sun and I am considering getting a pair of rainbow flip flops just so this can stop happening, Just wondering if anyone has any advice

I work a 10 hr shift at an apartment complex alone. It’s quite hot outside, many times a heat index above 100 for most the shift. I take a 15 min break every 45, and on weekends especially I am on that rotation essentially the whole shift.

It’s just so hot outside, even if I dip my shirt in the water and put some ice on it then put it back on for the 45, it dries quick and I’m hot again. Idk how yall deal with the heat, especially now with Canadas fires breathing isn’t fun. And the 15 min breaks feel so short when I have to wait for everyone to walk out the pool, take chems, use the restroom, refill my waterbottle, eat something, respond to my manager, and help guests check in.

I have come to dread going to work, and I have another, better job, but if I quit this job the price of my uniform (70$ somehow) gets taken out my paycheck, and I’d still have to work another two weeks. The end of the season is so close, and there was a mention of a 100$ bonus for staying until the end of the season and being on time every day, which makes me think I should just thug it out, but idk if I can.

Oh and my manager changes every single clock I do so that if I got there a couple minutes early, I didn’t , and if I leave a couple minutes late (the pool closes the same time my shift ends), nuh uhh I left right on time. If I get there 5 min early and leave 5 min early, she only changes the start time. There isn’t a single clock she hasn’t edited, and each edit cut me time.

TLDR Sorry for a bit of a rant but if anyone has any tips to thug out the heat or the monotony of a 10hr shift alone, please lmk.

Sorry, this is probably a stupid question. I’m a very anxious person, especially socially, and I’m going to be doing my bronze medallion course soon. I’m honestly not concerned about the swimming or learning the procedures. The only thing I’m really worried about is the social part of it. I know we will all be in the same boat but it makes me feel really anxious to think about doing these things (ex. practicing cpr, rescues, etc) in front of random people. I also understand I will have to act out a rescue scenario, most likely in front of the rest of my class, and I worry that I will mess up or look stupid. Does everyone feel this way? Is it just a generally awkward thing to be doing with strangers?

A couple of years ago my kid was in the shallow end playing while waiting in swimming lessons. Probably 3 or 4 years old. He was in chest height water. No float. Did make me nervous. But I was trying to let him learn a bit how his body moves in water and gain confidence and such. I was sidelined (parents not allowed in) and the lifeguard on duty present as well. Pool was only open for lessons. So all the kids were corralled in this little area (maybe 8-10 of them) was probably about 2.5 ft deep

The memory eats at me once in awhile. Currently is. As a baby, playing on the beach, the waves easily knocked him over and he’d just surface float with no panic..we would laugh and pick him up and move on. (I’m talking under a year old!) but he did it one day at this pool.. lost his footing, his butt floated.. and he was stuck face down. (He is autistic and adhd (didn’t know at the time)) I’m thinking that’s why he didn’t assume typical drowning position.. but I stood up and watched him for about 10 long internally counted seconds hoping he’d get his footing.. while hollering at him to put his feet down. when he didn’t i looked over at the lifeguard, (maybe 4 ft from my son and actively watching the pool) he was oblivious to the struggle. I asked the lifeguard to grab him for me. It was seriously like knee to thigh height water (I had my other baby or I was gonna hop in) My son barely moved. Didn’t/couldn’t lift his head, couldn’t put his butt down, just surface float with some lame arm move.. did I overreact? I feel like didn’t.. 10 seconds feels like a long time for a kid never taught to breath hold or swim..

We’ve been fighting water anxiety since around this age.. part of me wonders if I let him float a tad too long.. it was just odd to see. He wasn’t even trying to fix himself.

Is that atypical for drowning? If we had not noticed as quickly would he have possibly switched to the vertical position? Or would he have just floated around into unconsciousness?

Where I work, we have major problems with rotations where people are often late for no reason which causes some people to be on pool for over an hour. For context, we do have someone off pool all the time and their main role is cleaning, first aid, etc and can only rotate sometimes yet it is never enough as when they rotate it usually gets ruined in about 4 rotations as someone is late again. What are some ways other waterparks fixed rotations please to prevent our lifeguards for being on pool for over an hour because someone wanted a 20min break instead of 15min? Thanks

I start lifeguarding for the first time next Wednesday and I'm a bit nervous, i struggle remembering stuff when I'm nervous and scared of messing up, like the whistle nor did I receive a whistle but what I'm worried about the most is how do I know when to switch, there's only two of us on duty that day and only one stand so how do I know when to take him/her off the stand please just give me advice and reminders

Could anyone please tell me what the prereqs are for an ARC LGIT certification? Thank you in advance.

I completed bronze medallion around 2 years ago, although I remember some topics and have first aid certification, I’m afraid I forgot some important procedures like what important parts to include when calling for emergency help. I’m entering a bronze med/cross combo but only taking and paying for the cross portion so some of my classmates will have just completed their bronze medallion. I’m afraid I won’t be able to pick up right away, is there any key parts I should review in my textbook? and a question I keep thinking about is if we see a drowning victim, do we have to go through the full ladder approach? Swimming ability wise such as the brick test and 400m swim I’m not worried about since I swim for club, but I’m worried about forgetting key components to live saving that the instructors might expect us to know. So if anyone can give me some key points to review, it would be greatly appreciated!

I am a female lifeguard and I work at a pool that requires a one piece bathing suit. I’ve been working at this pool for years. I recently started experiencing what I call razor blade sensations along the bikini line where my swimsuit ends. I think it could be because the swimsuit is too tight or because the swimsuit is too short. I work sometimes 11 hours at a time at this pool (voluntary because i’m broke), how can I prevent this razor blade feeling? do i just need to buy a new guard wardrobe in a bigger size? (I’m buying what the size chart says i am)

Just want to rant.

I got my first and only break after lifeguarding (bay beach) for 5.5 hours straight today. I had a 30 minute legally mandated break then had to guard for two more hours. It was 90F and 70% humidity. 15-20 kids under the age of 10 are in the water, whose parents were on their phones or socializing on the beach.

Usually there are two guards on. The other guard supposed to be here today told the manager days ago he couldn’t make it and the manager never found a replacement. This is the SECOND TIME this has happened, where I had to work an 8 hour shift alone.

Hallo, ich frage mich, ob es nötig ist, ein Kind zu einem Schwimmkurs zu bringen oder ob man das auch problemlos selbst hinbekommt. Mir wurde das Schwimmen von den Eltern beigebracht, meinen Geschwistern und auch in der Familie meines Partners ist es so gewesen, aber ich frage mich jetzt, weil ich überall die Angebote sehe und alles immer ausgebucht ist, ob ich etwas übersehe und es zwingend notwendig ist? Mein Stil beim kraulen ist zum Beispiel echt unterirdisch und ich habe es inzwischen aufgegeben.

Zumindest bei den Wassergewöhnungs-Kursen hab ich bislang Abstand gehalten, weil ich dachte: das Kind kommt als Baby aus dem Wasser, wieso sollte ich es daran gewöhnen müssen. In dem Fall ist es aufgegangen, meine Kinder sind von Anfang an viel und gerne im Wasser oder am See, tauchen den Kopf unter, ganz ohne es zu hinterfragen. Aber ist es fürs schwimmen lernen sinnvoller/schneller/technisch korrekter? Was sind eurer Erfahrungen?

(Kind ist grade 4 Jahre)