September 2, 2026: USCG Surfmen Brain Injuries
Greetings,
If you've known me for any length of time, you know I have a wide range of personal interests when it comes to reading. The historical origins of whaling. North Korea. Aviation disasters. It comes from nine years in Montessori education where you're given a lot of autonomy to follow your passion and self-direct your work.
One topic I've been following for a really long time: the research and advancement of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). I believe it started with this ProPublica article because I distinctly remember when the movie Concussion came out in 2015, I wondered why it had taken so long for the public to talk about this obvious correlation/causation.
I also have a family member with documented and suspected traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), so I've seen first-hand the immense impact on activities of daily living. Memory loss. Mood swings. Personality changes. Poor decision making. Confusion. Frustration. I've often thought that when Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, he wasn't trying to write a horror book, he was himself (or living with someone) experiencing significant neurological disorder.
Be that as it many, early this morning, my feed for the New York Times podcast The Daily updated with yesterday's episode: How A Teenager Discovered Undiagnosed Brain Injuries in the Military. Content warning: the NYT stating "mention of suicide" is a vast understatement.
This is a news story I completely missed earlier this summer that I feel is extremely relevant for any/all aquatic professionals to be aware of.
TL;DR: Brett Bonner, a career U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Surfman, the individual operating a rescue lifeboat in ocean conditions, committed suicide in 2025 after years of struggling with heretofore unknown brain injuries resulting from the forces of the ocean at work over 21 years. (Here's a 60 Minutes feature showing the work Surfmen do.)
How was this causal link identified? Kayleigh, his high school-aged daughter completed a research project and collected data from 77 other USCG Surfmen, identifying similar neurological symptoms. If you think you might find the podcast above upsetting (although it does feature the voices of people at the heart of the story), you can also read the original New York Times investigation here.
What's different from what you might expect (i.e. the USMC ignoring water-related injuries & fatalities for decades) is that the USCG commandant immediately responded to the NYT investigation, committing resources to third-party medical research & change. Unlike some of the comments on my USMC video, I think meaningful change can happen; it's not just lipstick on a pig.
Why should we care about this development as aquatic professionals?
In my opinion as a consultant, there is a tendency to think about workplace safety only in terms of BIG, OBVIOUS CAUSES. But there's also injury or death by a thousand cuts. We say maintenance whispers before it screams, and occupational health & safety research has shown that near-misses and smaller incidents can be a bellweather for bigger forthcoming incidents or problems.
I would never suggest working at swimming pool is on the same level as rescue response on the open ocean. However, many of you have heard me say this before in CPO class: we work in a hot, wet, humid environment with harsh chemicals, electricity in water, and a lot of barefoot, half-naked people with the high potential for slips, trips & falls. We may not need steel-toed boots or Carhartts, but that doesn't mean our work is without real hazards in shorts & flipflops.
Yes, some jobs are inherently dangerous (military, police, fire, EMS, heavy industry, etc.) and we're not going to bubble wrap our lifeguards. We undertake personal risk every single day from driving to work, eating an undercooked hamburger, or entering your credit card number into an online website. But how much do we acknowledge and/or continue to repeatedly consent to the risk?
The second thing that struck me about this story was obviously how it directly impacts our surf lifeguard folks. If you've ever been thrown into the ocean floor by a wave, you know the force is serious and unforgiving. This type of research should be on the radar of all ocean rescue agencies & individuals; surfmen have safety gear that most open water lifeguards do not. It's certainly not a strict comparison, but we can extrapolate potential considerations we didn't have before this today.
By call to action for you this week is to consider what things you might have observed or experienced in your job or workplace that maybe haven't been previously assessed. Yes, we can't operate our facilities off vibes, but intuition and instincts are rarely wrong, we just have to pinpoint what facts they're trying to tell us.
I've started an anonymous advice column. Please feel welcome to submit any & all questions HERE without any judgement.
Here's everything else I feel is worth knowing in the aquatics industry this week. It's a big list this week, I know, I'm sorry (how Canadian of me); I do always edit & curate. But I can also tell you that news stories will significantly taper over the next few weeks as reporting shifts away from summer & swimming. It's an annual cycle.
A Theater Made a Public Pool as a ‘Hug.’ Now It’s a Culture War Flashpoint.
I asked a German colleague about this story because I felt I was missing elements that haven't made it into English - German is the only language I completed flunked in school. It was his opinion the flashpoint is that white people were banned (as opposed to the event simply being aimed at Black people; white people not excluded) in a publicly-funded NGO.
Long story short: This new Charlottetown pool might not be big enough
Cause of Death Revealed for Emilie Kiser’s 3-Year-Old Son Trigg Over a Year After His Fatal Drowning
I share this because many people still don't realize that in-hospital death after submersion is not tracked as a "drowning," even when it's clearly the root cause of the brain injury and medical complications.
Man, 38, Diagnosed with Rare Eye-Eating Parasite After He Wore His Contact Lenses in a Swimming Pool on Vacation
You aren't supposed to wear contacts in the pool, but this is a flagrantly disregarded piece of advice within aquatics, so stories like this are worth bringing up at your next staff meeting.
Relatives of child who drowned in Calgary storm pond relieved upgrades coming
This is tough one because we can't fence everything, but these are the same storm ponds I see residents in my neighborhood routinely playing shinny on in the winter.
Construction worker dies after being pulled from retention pond following excavator mishap in Davie
The excavator he was working on submerged.
Teen, 15, Left Paralyzed After Accident During ‘Normal’ Swim Practice, Spends 58 Days in Hospital
This reminds me of the Miranda Biletski case in Saskatchewan, still one of the most expensive legal precedents for aquatic injury in Canada. I'll share more in this week's YouTube Live.
Family of 3 people who drowned in Maine lake sue pontoon boat manufacturer and dealer
The photo is shocking because people tend to think pontoons are extremely safe, but it's still a drowning hazard. Recall the tragic drowning fatality of Glee star Naya Rivera in 2020.
Man accused of secretly filming people inside bathrooms on ASU’s Tempe campus
In hot water: Locals fear tourist influx after Iceland’s pool culture gets UNESCO status
According to my aunt & uncle who've been visiting for 25+ years, Iceland has already had its influx of tourists due to the bathing culture. 😂
How I spent my summer: At the Reflecting Pool
Click here to read without a paywall.
Doctor and Captain Save Tourist in Zakynthos After 79 Minutes of CPR
The Sign-of-Our-Times Allure of a Fake Beach Paradise
Texas Monthly always has the best articles.
This Resort in the ‘Water Park Capital of the World’ Is Expanding—with a 6-person Water Coaster, a World-first Slide, and a 10,000-square-foot Pool
2-year-old girl nearly drowns in pool at her birthday party, police say
Everyone assumes everyone else is watching the birthday child.
Norwegian Prima Guests Notified of Hot Tub Closures and Onboard Testing
Legionella outbreak.
Fresno Unified expanded free swim lessons, but many spots went unfilled. Here’s why
From Gen X Pool Days to Gen Z Tanfluencers: Sharing the Sun, Not the Damage
I only guarded outside for a few summers, and I'm routinely having suspicious chunks of skin cut out.
Saudi Arabia and French Government Sign MoU
Will a water park be part of the “entertainment-led, mixed-use destination”?
Martin Aquatic Launches Blue Mar Wellness™, Delivering Integrated Design and Supply Services for Thermal Spa Market
You might have never heard of them, but Martin Aquatic is a leading designer of aquatic facilities you've likely visited without realizing it.
Family says 2-year-old's drowning at playdate was accidental. Authorities want criminal charges.
They braved a world-famous Six Flags roller coaster. Then they were rushed to the hospital for emergency brain surgery
The coaster has been connected to more than a dozen serious injuries and hospitalizations in its more than 20 years of existence.
21-year-old from Fort Drum injured in cliff jumping accident at Upstate NY waterfall
City of Albuquerque expands Inclusive Swim Hours
Meta glasses are a workplace menace
Click here to read without a paywall.
Teen Boys Are Using Meta Glasses to Harass and Bully Girls at High Schools and Middle Schools
Instagram promised to remove harassing Meta glasses videos. I keep finding them.
Meta is closing a loophole that allowed people to record with their smart glasses' light covered
Happy almost Labour Day!
Katie Crysdale
Lakeview Aquatic Consultants Ltd.
PS. We're finalizing our 2027 Certified Pool Operator (CPO) class schedule for release after Canadian Thanksgiving (October 15). If you're interested in hosting an in-person CPO class at your facility, now is the time to reach out to me.
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