June 30, 2026: Deaf Lifeguards
Good Afternoon,
I know I said I would take this week off, but there's too much I'd like to share, so I'm back with the weekly newsletter.
First, a big thank you to everyone who listened to the audio version of last week's newsletter released on Sunday. I was able to spend 1.5 hours unpacking the State of Texas Report on the Camp Mystic Flood Disaster of July 4, 2025
I've been making videos and broadcasting live online since 2020. The longer I do this, the more I come to believe you can edit anything to be "ok," but there is a real skill to monologuing live in a single take. Many times when I make YouTube Lives, I speed up my speech to fit in as much info as possible before people get bored and click away.
However, I knew going into this discussion of the 27 girls who died at Camp Mystic, I wanted to respect the seriousness of the flood event and those who died because of it. So, I'm gratified that so many people were willing to tackle listening to a 2.25 hour video. I'm really proud of my perspective, informed by 10 years as a camper & counsellor plus emergency management training with the Incident Command System (ICS).
If you don't want to hear updates on Cultus Lake, Emilie Kiser, etc. the substantive portion on Camp Mystic starts at 45:18.
In terms of further updates: Camp Mystic files for bankruptcy after catastrophic Texas floods killed 28 people at the girls’ camp. I'm not a lawyer or bankruptcy expert, but as Tracy Schandler Walder said (sorry, Instagram only) this is a legal strategy, and I think it also completely disregards (or isn't aware....) of the public perception of their complicity in this tragedy.
So much about this terrible incident could be somewhat improved by the family/organization simply taking accountability for what happened in a way that provides less continued trauma to the families of the girls who died AND the families of the girls who survived.
One of my big takeaways from reading the report (above) is the degree to which hundreds of girls & young women were also horrifically traumatized by surviving.
One example: 100 young people sheltered on the wooden balcony of an old building called the Rec Hall, overloading the weight limit, because it was the only way they could avoid the water level which rose to the point where they could feel it with their fingertips (the flood waters crested at 37.5 feet).
28 deaths is a lot, but the degree to which it could have been hundreds more is starkly apparent when you read the first-hand accounts synthesized in the report.
I'm happy to share a video that's been months in production regarding deaf lifeguards.
For those of you operating lifeguarded pools in Canada, for years we've used the terminology "within arm's reach," but - as any lifeguard will tell you - parents & guardians have dramatically different ideas of how close "within arm's reach" actually is in practice.
I was doing some research recently for a big project, and hit on this definition in a Lifesaving Society of Ontario Safety Standards page, specifically Admission for Aquatic Facilities, December 2003.
"Direct supervision: means within arms’ reach and able to render immediate assistance." This last part of how to quantify that distance is exactly what we need to be adding into our aquatic staff training procedures, stat.
I also want to call out the Breastfeeding at Aquatic Facilities policy. It's very thorough and a great topic to revisit at your next inservice. Legislation may be different in your pool's jurisdiction, but I think this is a great policy to start from and trim down to make an effective & compliant workplace procedure.
Here's everything else in the mix of aquatics this week:
Man admits defecating in public swimming pool 18 times
But why?!
Who pooped in the pool? | Asheboro offers $500 for info on delinquent defecator
I am here for this! Every pool manager I know would love to start a tip line.
10 injured by lightning strike at Swedish amusement park
Lightning strikes were a leading cause of lifeguard fatalities on the job in North America (that I wasn't able to cover due to time limits) when I did this presentation a few years ago.
Child born at Wet ‘n Wild Emerald Pointe in Greensboro: ‘Wish the family all the best’
Some of you might recall a similar incident happened a few years ago in Colorado. Lifeguard candidates used to laugh when I threw in live childbirth as a situation during lifeguard training scenarios, but anything IS possible.
Jeonnam Province Mourns Gokseong Water Facility Tragedy Involving Brothers... Inspects 113 Theme Parks in Province
Interesting to see that this incident will result in all facilities being inspected.
After 40 Years, a Tenacious Lifeguard Still Swims Against the Tide
Defense attorney for Andrea Yates, who drowned her children near Houston, reflects on the case 25 years later
I don't share this article lightly. I think it's important to talk about post-partum depression (PPD) and water safety because the longer I read the news daily for 'drowning,' the more frequently I see this is - sadly - a mechanism by which children are frequently killed by their guardian.
What science tells us about the algae bloom in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
This is an easy-to-understand primer on algae from two academic researchers on freshwater ecosystems at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario.
Recovery effort underway for 4 men, 2 women presumed drowned off B.C. coast: RCMP
I don't know if this was a factor in this incident, but internationally often charter boats lack the same licensure as larger passenger vessels under maritime safety rules.
The people’s pools: A Labour plan to build Lidos
This is a policy paper for the UK.
Mumbaikars' Summer Getaway Taps Out: Water Shortage Halts Operations In Imagicaa
It's not well documented, but drought is impacting pool & water park operations all around the world.
German swimming lake criticised for ban on non-German speakers
Whether you can do something or should do something are two different things.
Temple University athletes demonstrate how swimming in pools and the ocean are very different
This is an excellent, illustrative experience to compare swimming in a pool basin vs. the open ocean. "Swimming shape is different from running shape... way harder than I thought."
How the Reflecting Pool Turned Green: Missing ‘Bubblers’ and a Rush Job
I have no idea what a "nanobubbler" is and why they were being used.
Boy, 3, drowned in septic tank during grandfather's repair work
I've seen this more times than I can count: a "quick" job turns into a deadly job because pre-job hazard assessments and physical safety barriers are skipped because the setup time is perceived to take longer than active work.
Denver residents voice frustration over prolonged outdoor pool closures in minority neighborhoods
Decades-old NYC policy requires NYPD to open public pools, leading to frequent delays
I would love to know more about the original reason behind this policy, i.e. what it aimed to address in terms of problems that may or may not still exist in 2026.
97 kids drowned in Virginia since 2021; lawmaker says new law ends 30 years of outdated pool rules
Exclusive: Firm that worked on past Reflecting Pool renovation passed on Trump project after deeming it ‘unfeasible’
One of the few projects I ever declined to work on was going to involve resurfacing the pool deck with caustic epoxy while the other pools remained open to customers. I reiterated that I couldn't support a completely unrealistic project that would involve caustic fumes for swimmers & lifeguards plus humidity that would likely preclude proper cure time for the resurfacing product.
Creating Raving Fans Through the Guest Experience
This is not a recent article, but I really enjoy the writer who does a lot of work with IAAPA and is one of the cohosts of the AttractionPros podcast.
At least 20 people have died of drowning in B.C. this year, up from last year
Broken promise: Birmingham pools stay closed despite repair money in surplus plan
"Birmingham’s website lists 13 city pools total, with eight currently marked closed for maintenance." $1.5m for pool repairs doesn't go very far if most of your facilities are 60 years old.
Registration for the Thursday, July 16 & Friday, July 17 Certified Pool Operator (CPO) class on Zoom will be closing EOD this Tuesday, July 7. We only offer the 2 day x 8 hours option on Zoom twice per year because I don't feel this is the best learning experience, but it
Thereafter, our next Zoom CPO classes are not until August 7 (CPO Fusion) and August 17-20 (4 day x 4 hours) respectively.
Please enjoy some time with your family & friends this week.
Katie Crysdale
Lakeview Aquatic Consultants Ltd.