October 14, 2026: Waterslides require more oversight.

Greetings,

There was no newsletter last week (October 7) because I was traveling, and the previous week's newsletter (October 2) arrived late because I really had a lot to say: Royal Caribbean Group & Sandals Resort Deal. Please go back and read it, if it fell below the break in your inbox - I really do think it's an important business deal for the aquatic industry.

This week, I want to talk about a developing story from the dry amusement industry: Man who died after being ‘ejected’ from Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia was cherished teacher, school says. Content warning searching the topic further online: video of the victim physically airborne and striking objects during his descent is circulating widely online.

'Goliath' is a common name in the roller coaster world. People Magazine is reporting the ride in Georgia was manufactured by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard. Multiple amusement parks across North America with the same model have closed this coaster out of an abundance of caution until the investigation identifies a root cause of the suspected restraint failure.

To supplement this conversation, I also want to share this article I already had queued up for this week's newsletter, even before this incident happened: Six Flags to close world-famous roller coaster after CNN investigation exposed years of injuries and deaths (the original investigation is linked in the September 2 newsletter).

Note: for the purpose of this newsletter, I'm sidestepping the bigger conversation about Six Flags as a business entity that's undergone a merger with Cedar Fair; brand ambassadorship and investment by Travis Kelce; and ongoing leadership changes, as I'm not qualified to parse the full story. Corporate safety culture (or, potentially, a lack thereof) IS an element of this story, but not relevant to my bigger point here.

What does any of this have to do with aquatics? Unfortunately, not unlike dry amusement devices, in many jurisdictions, water slides are not regulated or inspected after installation. Period. There are few, if any, requirements for ongoing maintenance, daily inspections, annual verifications, limit testing, etc. Some water park professionals do an absolutely phenomenal job of proactively doing this daily - I'm looking at you, US-based poolies, where amusement injury litigation is rampant - but in Canada and internationally, in my personal opinion, an awful lot is left up to chance that we can set it & forget it.

It wasn't that long ago a teenager fell from a ride in Orlando, and Caleb Thomas Schwab was decapitated on the Verruckt water slide in Kansas City. (I share this short documentary because you really need to SEE the slide in question to comprehend the scale of negligence.)

Unless a jurisdiction regulates annual renewal of amusement devices (like TSSA in Ontario) or investigates & tracks injuries (like Technical Safety BC), there is ZERO mechanism to trend amusement injuries, including water slides, unless it's through public media reporting... and that doesn't account for many allegationsor injuries that settle privately with NDAs.

Many amusement devices (wet or dry) remain operating solely "in accordance with manufacturer's specifications" which we hope is enough, particularly with independent ISO certification & testing, plus anonymous reporting through agencies like IAAPA, but I think the general public believes these amusement devices are tested and maintained to standards much safer than they necessarily are.

I do not believe I'm being alarmist when I say many pools I've visited - both large municipal aquatic facilities with multiple amenities down to your local airport hotel with one relatively short slide - are just one underinflated tube, one fiberglass crack, one open valve/increased flow, one improperly placed rider, etc. away from physically - and financially - catastrophic injuries.

We should not be waiting for water-specific incident like Cultus Lake Waterpark or the Canmore Inn & Suites for us to stop and overhaul daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly/annual maintenance of water slides and wet attractions, to say nothing about what our insurers, manufacturers, installers, corporate owners, etc. require us (or think we're already doing) to meet a minimum standard of care.

IAAPA does a great job of issuing press releases & relevant talking points to members, anytime there is a major incident like the one this week in Georgia.

I want to highlight the last line: oversight is provided by jurisdictions to ensure safe operations and incident investigations. Where is the oversight for water slides? In many parts of the world we just don't have any significant binding, ongoing waterslide oversight.

I don't think regulations are red tape; I welcome a framework and structure for increased safety of all aquatic facilities, particularly amusement devices like water slides. The best facilities will easily comply, and the worst facilities should be caught up in a web of enforcement. As we saw with the Boeing 737 MAX scandal, I don't think we can rely only on manufacturers and industry to self-police.

Here's everything else I've been reading during the last two weeks:

Greek Tragedy: A Drowning at Dartmouth College

First Mattel Wonder Indoor Waterpark to Open in Nebraska in 2027
We have the first renderings of what one of the five planned Mattel-themed water parks will look like, designed by Martin Aquatic Group.

Oceana Water World Takes Shape – Opening Envisioned for Early 2027
You may recall I wrote a newsletter about the fire - and claims of who they feel was responsible - last year: May 16, 2025: Oceana Fire Investigation

Building on 26 Years of Community Recreation
Westside Recreation in Calgary has launched the detailed page to track the $180m expansion, scheduled to break ground in 2028.

Meta's CTO doesn't want a few 'bad actors' to spoil your view of Meta glasses

Were chemical injuries at Temescal Pool linked to Oakland’s failure to hire?
I appreciate that this journalist went much deeper to the cause of how this actually might have happened.

Family sues High Meadow Resort over overcrowded pool in teen’s drowning death

14 People Infected with Parasite After Swimming in Hotel Pool

Pool supplies retailer files for bankruptcy, to close 76 stores
Throwback to this business case study I shared earlier this year.

Will Michigan's Supreme Court take on a South Haven wrongful death lawsuit appeal?

Lead Without A Title: The Power Of Informal Leadership
The basis of many aquatic org structures!

Boulder parks board sends rare rebuke over service cuts, Spruce Pool’s uncertain future

4 people struggled to breathe after swimming in pool near Avila Beach

Rome Announced as Host City for World Conference on Drowning Prevention 2027
This is a change from the previously-announced Sri Lanka in October 2027.

VA considers new public pool rules as Charlottesville group calls for broader focus on swim access

Diamond Valley group hoping to save swimming pool
This is my favourite place to swim in the summer, so I'll be watching this story closely. However, I also fully expect the pool has reached the end of its reasonable life cycle after nearly 60 years in service to the community, and reinvesting doesn't necessarily make sense with the neighboring Town of Okotoks planning a massive aquatic facility expansion.

City of North Mankato expecting regular revenue from pool after construction gap year

Katie Crysdale
Lakeview Aquatic Consultants Ltd.

PS. I've had to take a little pause from posting regularly on Instagram, but this is not a slow death; I do expect to be back in the next few weeks. Q3 was a lot, so I'm taking time to rest & regroup in October.

No AI tools were used to research, consolidate, format or write any portion of this newsletter.