April 29, 2026: AI & Aquatics
Good Morning & Happy Wednesday!
ICYMI, we have a new-ish anonymous advice column for all your burning pool questions that you are too embarrassed to ask. One of the questions I received:
I am noticing more and more AI generated content within messaging (not your newsletters) but in full conference presentations, other newsletters, Facebook posts, and even products. This is discouraging as it feels disingenuous and like they don't have the time to put out a quality product. A leadership type aquatics newsletter now has all the tell tale signs of AI and I cannot stand it. I am not sure if it is a question as much as a - how do you take this content, especially from entities that have been incorporating more and more... Do you find yourself unfollowing or treating entities that do this differently than those that maintain their autonomy with AI writing? (this question has been edited for clarity)
Thanks for the question. Early on when I started Lakeview Aquatic Consultants (2017), the business philosophy being preached across the internet was scale, scale, scale. You will make more money and be more successful if you serve more customers, sell more products, offer more services, etc.
Along the way, I started to notice that my aquatic instincts often led me in a completely different direction, to what I would now describe as "serve before sell" and "remain a small fish in a big pond." I don't want to be as wealthy - or as busy - as possible; I want to nurture 1:1 personal connections & business relationships plus I want my work to fit my life, not my life to fit my work.
Where I'm going with this is that - broadly speaking - I'm seeing all businesses that serve the aquatic industry (manufacturers, service providers, non-profit trade groups, even lifeguard agencies) AND aquatic organizations themselves (municipalities, pool/rec boards, water parks, hotel groups, etc.) try to do MORE with less very poorly, rather than admit that if we want to start something new, we have to drop something old.
Here's some pertinent statistics from this edition of Morning Brew:
How Accurate Are Google’s A.I. Overviews?
I'm trying to imagine how this might go down in a deposition:
Lawyer: "How were your lifeguards trained to do CPR?"
Pool Manager: "I asked ChatGPT to generate CPR training prompts for our monthly inservice."
Lawyer: "You relied on AI - which could be highly inaccurate (see above) - instead of province/industry-accredited training standards and professional experience (that you were hired to use in the conduct of your role as the pool manager) to "meet" an essential industry standard of care?"
I also recently renewed my professional errors & omissions insurance, and I am absolutely certain that anything generated by AI would not be covered and 100% my fault.
Where I'm going with all this is that AI has, for me, become yet another marker of who I choose to follow, work with, subscribe to, employ, trust, etc. We tell lifeguards and other aquatic staff to use critical thinking to make good judgement based on individual skills and the specific circumstances. Maybe AI can do some of these things, but should we let it?
Do you want an oncologist using AI to generate a cancer-treatment strategy? Do you want AI to notify you that a child is drowning in the swimming pool?
Some of you might have heard these recent stories:
Sullivan & Cromwell law firm apologizes for AI 'hallucinations' in court filing
Deloitte to pay money back to Albanese government after using AI in $440,000 report
If two were caught, we can imagine 10x more are doing it without getting caught. Or if you watched Season 2 of The Pitt, AI accuracy came up repeatedly because the difference was literally life or death.
There is no question there is loud pressure to be "innovative" and adopt AI extensively in the workplace - aquatic or otherwise - but I personally believe you need to take concrete steps to decide where you're willing to tolerate AI in your life, especially in terms of remitting time, money, resources or trust.
I'm rarely a proponent of "this is the way we've always done it," but with some specific aspects of the aquatic industry it's still the same way for reasons of defensibility and minimum standards of care. I could say more, but it's ultimately up to you to decide your path forward.
BTW, I also have thoughts on AI in aquatics in terms of drowning-prevention technology. If you are new here, I talk extensively about my work with AI at ASTM & ISO Committees here.
Apple Watch water safety patent: game changer or overreach?
AI in Aquatics: a Lifeguard Shares Insights on Drowning Technology
ISO Drowning Technology Committee Insights from Bern
Thanks to the Pool & Hot Tub Council of Canada (PHTCC) Women in Swim committee for featuring me in their April newsletter. You can read more about my journey in the aquatic industry here.
Here's everything else aquatic-related I've been reading & thinking about this week. Trigger warning: there are more than a couple references to the Camp Mystic hearings in Texas.
‘A huge win for families’: Gov. DeSantis signs legislation on swimming lessons, water safety
TRAGIC END Boy, 7, dies after getting trapped in swimming pool’s suction pump as horrified dad desperately tried to pull him out
Journalists never understand how to describe/report swimming pool entrapments, so finding these in the news is pretty much a needle in a haystack.
Cocoa Beach loses life-saving rings amid dispute
Our contract expired so let's just remove lifesaving equipment? That was my opinion until I was schooled by a surf lifeguard yesterday who told me it has to do with the risk of lay rescuers going out into the surf with the lifesaving ring.
Modest swimwear shapes first women-only day at Riyadh’s Aquarabia water park
I can't wait to see this park sometime in the next year!
Hawaii’s Most Managed Snorkel Spot Just Proved Drowning Risk Remains
Say it louder for the people in the back: "The problem is that 'safer' is not the same as 'safe.'"
Today, Camp Mystic, received an 11 page deficiency letter in response to their licensing application (Instagram reel)
I understand not everyone is on Instagram, I really do try to restrict how many links like this I share, but this is a pretty shocking summary of the recent deficiencies identified at Camp Mystic (where 28 people fatally drowned during Texas flooding in July 2025) as part of their state licensing renewal application. You can read past newsletters on this topic here:
July 11, 2025: Camp Mystic
March 18, 2026: the Camp Mystic Impact on Aquatics
A download of the official report with deficiencies is available here. It should be noted that allegedly over 170 camps in Texas have also received deficiency letters since the regulatory changes stemming from the implementation of the Heavens 27 Camp Safety Act.
Committee on July 2025 Flooding Events (Instagram reel)
Camp Mystic Parent testimony (Instagram reel)
Camp Mystic relied on teen counselors with no emergency training before flood, investigator says
I keep sharing this content because - to me - our takeaways from the Camp Mystic tragedy are inextricable from an overhaul some aquatic facilities' extremely deficient operations, documentation & compliance.
Texas Lawmakers Question Camp Mystic’s Owners Over Deadly Flood
Trump Says He’s Renovating ‘Filthy’ Reflecting Pool on the National Mall
I am genuinely curious to know what swimming pool product/finish is going to be used in this project. The commentary I've heard online is that it will be pool blue.
Soldier awarded Soldier’s Medal for rescuing woman from Danube River
Aquatics code puts focus on lifeguards
North Dakota has adopted portions of the Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC), increasing the number of lifeguards required from earlier state standards established in 1995.
Body recovered after fatal workplace incident at Fowler raisin facility
"Officers searched the facility and nearby residences, and contacted family members before focusing efforts on the water digester — a large, covered basin used in industrial waste processing."
Icon Park takeover: 9 arrests, 2 deputies hurt after 1,000+ teens swarm Orlando entertainment complex
If you haven't experienced a teen takeover, this is a trend I've been following out of the USA ever since hearing sessions both at the WWA Show & IAAPA in Fall 2025 (vlogs on YouTube forthcoming...yes, six months late!😉)
Woman to serve 2 years in prison in son’s 2025 drowning
The claim is she was impaired by alcohol and fell asleep.
North Carolina woman convicted in 6-year-old’s drowning death
Carnival Splendor Passenger Drowns While Snorkeling at Moreton Island
Snorkeling is a really dangerous activity if you don't know what you're doing.
200 drowning deaths drive the first aquatic medical emergency course in Cataluña
Why Disney World Always Feels Crowded (Even When It's Not)
If you have a few minutes to listen to this video - I listen to a lot of YouTube content while doing admin work - this explained a lot for me about how staffing levels are the crux of the current service level issues. You might recall I talked extensively about how I think WDW has lost the plot with pricing in this newsletter
Yesterday (April 28) was the National Day of Mourning in Canada for workplace injuries & fatalities. I want to draw your attention to the wide range of workplace drowning fatalities and water-related injuries that still occur in Canada as of 2026.
October 1, 2025: Industrial drowning fatalities
If you've been a subscriber for any length of time, you know that nearly every month there's at least one workplace drowning fatality, like the raisin plant incident above. In many cases, these are a matter of public record that you can search within your country/state/province.
Thanks for making it this far, I know this is a longer newsletter today.
Katie Crysdale
Lakeview Aquatic Consultants Ltd.
PS. The audio version of last week's newsletter is posted here.
