March 11, 2026: Bather Violence Increasing
Good Morning,
It's winter in the Northern Hemisphere, but in the Southern Hemisphere it's summer and we're seeing a horrible trend continue of increasing bather violence towards lifeguards & aquatic staff. I've covered these stories several times throughout 2025 (here's one example), but here's a quick rundown of recent articles that line up with the temperature rising.
‘I just burst into tears’: Nine in 10 public pool workers face threats, harassment and violence
My whole body was shaking’: Attacks on Aussie lifeguards soar
JFK pool closed due to assault of young lifeguard by adult, Majority Leader says
Regional town limits pool hours after lifeguard assaulted
Uproar over lifeguard assault at Melbourne aquatic centre *
Evening swims at Cole Harbour Place temporarily cancelled after lifeguard assaulted
Lifeguard Assaulted by Tourists at Puri Beach
Keep Your Cool at the Pool
You know it's bad when Royal Life Saving Australia has to come out with a media campaign reminding bathers to keep their cool.
Similar to the sexual harassment survey published in January, I suspect this is just a tiny tip of a very big, submerged iceberg. And unlike this conversation, I don't think it's increased reporting, I do think incidents are dramatically increasing since the Pandemic caused some people to reach a mental breaking point and lose all manner of patience in day-to-day adult interactions that naturally cause friction.
I once had a stapler thrown at my head by a bather who would not get into the pool (i.e. did not bring a bathing suit to the pool & didn't know how to swim) with her child who was under the age of 8. Thankfully, I was working at the University of Toronto, and the person who did this was a doctoral student (!), so campus police had many options under the student code of conduct to address this on my behalf.
For this particular issue, I don't have any easy answers other than 1) regularly practice much harder & realistic public relations (PR) scenarios during inservice; 2) ensure that a workplace violence policy is written, adopted, posted/communicated, and regularly enforced; 3) and talk to your teams daily (e.g. end of shift reports) to suss out any bather behavior that young staff are tolerating because they think they need to go along to get along as a "good" lifeguards. Otherwise, we don't have a lot of options as a customer-facing service.
*P.S. And before you come for me, some of us use 'center' as the middle and 'centre' as a building.
I'm happy to promote the launch of Recspert from our friend Dr. Katie Cleasby: "We built Recspert because we were tired of the 20-tab hunt just to find a simple tennis clinic or swim lesson." Give the website a whirl & be sure to let them know your feedback, they welcome the opportunity to improve.
In case you needed more proof this week that your aquatic facility needs a wearable technology policy for both aquatic staff & customers -
She Came Out of the Bathroom Naked, Employee Says
(free to read, but you will be shown an inescapable 30 second video ad)
Remuera man admits secretly filming hundreds of people in Newmarket pool changing room
This is the most prolific case I've seen, including 400 people over nearly six years.
And finally, here's our weekly round up of everything else I've been reading:
Calls for independent audit of Vancouver Aquatic Centre redevelopment decision with a 25-metre pool
The Surprising Power of Locker Rooms
Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Villas completes $100M renovation
This includes adding a lagoon.
Legal fight could stall Riviera Beach plan to demolish Barracuda Bay water park
"McCoy's lawsuit alleges the city published the wrong address in its public notice for a meeting related to the project. Critics argue the mistake could violate Florida's Sunshine Law, which requires government business to be conducted openly and with proper public notice."
Russian Wave Pool Technology Debuts With New Surf System
Six Flags is selling multiple parks — including one in Galveston
Five Quick Life Floor Projects to Enhance Your Facility Safety Before Summer
I don't like to indiscriminately share brand articles, but these are actually really helpful ideas.
Michigan bill would require schools to teach water safety in gym class
Coroner calls for checks on lifebuoys after drowning of teen in Kildare canal
Simply installing equipment is not enough.
Calls to ban portable pools 400mm to 1.2m high after baby Majura Rapi-Davis drowning
I believe in water safety, but I'm not sure this is reasonable.
Want to Sell Affordable Wellness? It’ll Cost You.
Please click here to see it without the paywall.
West Toledo dog water park temporarily closed after staff walkout; owner disputes safety claims
I can't imagine working in water that's 54°F/12°C even if it's "only" from the waist down as an aide. Unrelatedly, I had the opportunity to visit AquaStride, a dog-only training pool in Edmonton last weekend. Stay tuned for photos/videos on Instagram soon. Full credit to the owners: even if it's "just" for dogs, they still had their primary operator take a Certified Pool Operator (CPO) class.
Parents' testimony reveals safety concerns at San Jose daycare where two toddlers drowned
Respectfully, after listening to the news clip, parents themselves must do some basic diligence if they have concerns about their child's daycare (licensed or otherwise), such as a child receiving stitches after an injury due to a gate left open.
Water park owner will drain lake unless trespassers stop swimming
Florida lawmakers push new pool safety rules for vacation rentals as child drowning deaths rise
Inside the booming business of wellness third spaces and membership clubs
SW Recreation Centre concept design approved, project moves into next phase
If you live in the Calgary area, you know Airdrie is one of these bedroom communities that has grown well beyond what it's existing municipal infrastructure can handle, and this is very much a crisis response.
Plans to rebuild The Pas theatre, open new Flin Flon pool get provincial grants
Fitness fiasco: NYC launches compliance blitz to crackdown on gym membership ‘subscription traps’
Lots of fitness facilities rely on "subscription traps" and/or users who never actually clock in to use the space. I don't think either is a good business practice, so I think what Mamdani is doing in New York is a good step in the right direction, requiring explicit consent.
Lastly, I'm not someone who needs to be "right," but IAAPA did just announce the cancelation of the March 2026 Expo, so we'll see you all in April 2027! Etihad is launching direct service from Calgary to Abu Dhabi this November which I'm jazzed about!
See you next week!
Katie Crysdale
Lakeview Aquatic Consultants Ltd.
Thanks for all the likes & love on this week's audio!