09/07/2024
Summertime (and anytime!) tips! ☀️
Headed to a Waterpark soon?!?! Check out these 14 Uncommon Waterpark Safety Tips...
I am a mom of two kids, and operated waterparks for over 22 years and I am an aquatic safety expert! I love waterparks and wanted to share my personal tips for safety when visiting waterparks. You have probably already heard the tips to protect yourself (wear goggles, removable footwear), drink water, wear lifejackets, actively supervise in the water, always walk, don’t drink the water, and read the signs.
I wanted to go one step further to a few more tactical safety steps that I take and have learned from years of managing waterparks, investigating accidents and drownings, and being a mom.
They are in no particular order:
1. Do a walk around first - I call this a “tour” and is a great way to see everything that is there. I specifically look for depths and currents while we are doing the tour and ask my kids to point out things they see that may be safe / unsafe. My kids are taught depths vs. their height and this is a great opportunity to reinforce what each body of water will mean for them personally at their height. We also create a wish list of what we want to ride and do during our trip. From there we can create a plan that has boundaries, expectations, established breaks, and includes everything we each want to do.
2. Establish a home base / meeting spot - Make sure your child knows where the spot is AND could walk someone to the spot (it is amazing how many kids have no idea where their stuff is). I give my kids landmarks for something specific to point out we are sitting next to in case they get lost or we get separated.
3. Take Swimsuit Photos of Your Kids - I always recommend taking photos of your kids and what they are wearing. If a child is lost, it is a fast moving process in a waterpark and the operator relies on accurate information and a description of the missing child provided quickly. I can’t tell you how many times parents would say they lost their kid and the only description I could get out of them is they have brown hair, are about 8, and are wearing blue…um, thanks…that is like 70% of the people here. And then in reality the child is found only to be wearing a white rash guard and green shorts. Not exactly what we were looking for. Take a photo in your phone (I wear mine in a waterproof case) for quick reference, or make sure you can verbalize what everyone is wearing. Review with kids to go to a lifeguard immediately if they can’t find a parent. The lifeguard will whistle for a supervisor to come to their location and will help reunite the child with his/her parents.
4. Wear Bright Colors - Think about wearing bright colored swimsuits or rash guards. It makes it easier to find a child in a crowd while they are waiting in line, and is a contrast on the bottom of the pool to increase visibility. It can also help kids to find their parents if they are wearing bright colors too!
5. Watch Rides First - We always recommend standing at the bottom of a ride and watching it before you decide to ride or not. Observe the speed of the ride, type of vehicles, how the ride exits, and what physical requirements would be required of you to safely ride the attraction. Only you know your limitations and abilities. Watching a ride at the exit point can give you some good information as to what the ride is all about before you blindly choose to ride, or hike all the way up the tower and decide it isn’t for you. This is also important in determining what is appropriate for your kids too, and let’s them know what to expect when riding! Watch how slides exit into catch pools and what currents exist. There will always be a current in catch pools, rivers, and wave pools.
6. Hold the handles - Hang onto the handles and stay seated (or in the correct position) as you are instructed to do so. Waterslides are not like rollercoasters where you are strapped in place, they have an element of rider freedom. Rides are meant to be ridden in a specific position and are tested for safety accordingly. I know it may be tempting to put your hands up like a rollercoaster, but this shift in weight can cause the ride path to alter and can result in injuries. You may want to push the limits and turn backwards, or ride differently, or with no hands, but don’t do it.
7. Know Height / Weight Requirements - I always check height requirements on the website before I visit, so I know what to get my kids excited about. I’m sure you know the pain of a child with smashed expectations learning when they get to the top of a slide that they are too short to ride, but their big sister is allowed to go down and have all the fun. Height / Weight requirements are generally guidelines made by the manufacturer of the slide and are determined by engineers and testing related to cognitive and physical requirements to safely ride, and depth of water at the exit pool. These requirements are not random numbers pulled out of the sky, and are not negotiable.
8. Buddy System - We always use the buddy system and if your party heads in different directions this is important that everyone knows they should always have a buddy with them. When kids are young, you can ask them regularly where they buddy is to train them to think about needing their buddy to go somewhere new and to keep a look out for someone else. Of course, when they are young myself or my husband is their permanent buddy, but we want to train them as they get older to responsibly use their freedom. Kids should be watching to make sure their parents are watching too! My kids were buddies for each other while playing on the play structure and riding those slides. We watched them from a distance, but they stayed together and had to check in every 2 times down the slide. As they continue to get older we will expand the check ins as they demonstrate responsibility and are good swimmers, but the buddy system will remain.
9. Be Smart with Lifejackets. Most waterparks have lifejackets available for use, but I typically bring the ones my kids are used to wearing. Just make sure they are USCG approved. Waterparks are typically different than flat water pools in that they have a lot of action and currents in many attractions. Some attractions like body slides will require lifejackets to be removed before riding. If you have a non-swimmer, be aware of this and know the depth of water the slide exits into, and ensure the jacket is put back on after riding the body slide, if safe. Since stays may be longer at waterparks, be aware of when you remove any lifejacket - to eat, to use the bathroom, to take a picture, etc. - if you have a non-swimmer be aware of supervision, restricting access, and reapplying the lifejacket as soon as possible. I also remind parents to watch children in shallow area with lifejackets on. Small toddlers can fall or trip and be face down in 6”-12” of water and struggle to roll over or to stand up.
10. Clear Parental Responsibilities / Communication - Be specific about who is responsible for certain kids, and when transfer of that responsibility is taking place. I can tell you so often, when lifeguards would perform a rescue and we would walk the kid to find his parents, they would immediately say something like, “I thought you were with your dad” or “Why wasn’t your mom there?”. One parent assumed the other was watching and the other thought the opposite. Make sure responsibilities are clarified and any transfer of that responsibility is communicated clearly and confirmed.
11. Check your Swimwear - Body slides may also require riders to be free from plastic or metal ornamentation on their attire. Check board shorts and swimsuits for rivets (small circles on pockets that allow water to drain), zippers, or anything that may be a hard surface making contact with the slide. Most slides are made of fiberglass and this type of ornamentation can cause scratches in the slide and the possibility of fiberglass splinters for future riders. Ouch
12. Look for grates - Water clarity is important, and most operations do an outstanding job of making sure their water quality is good and water clarity is maintained. I always double check and make sure I can see the main drains at the bottom of the pool from the deck. In order to watch my kids I need to make sure I can see them, so visibility through the water is important.
13. Don’t touch grates - Most reputable waterparks will pull on and check grates regularly, however it is always a good practice that kids know to not mess with grates. They are there for your safety - stay away.
14. Listen to the Lifeguards - They are there for your safety. They have rules to enforce, and no, they didn’t make them up just for you! Lifeguards should not be interrupted or distracted when they are watching water. If you have a question, find someone walking around. If it is an emergency, then absolutely get their attention, but be respectful of the difficult job they have to do. Lifeguards are there as a back-up to parental supervision, not in place of it.
..and as always, have fun! Get in, get wet, enjoy the experience, and make memories!
Want more general water safety tips?!?! Check out our ALIVE Water Smart Parent Course...link in our bio or on our website!
Are you headed to a waterpark soon? Let us know where you are going in the comments! Tag someone to share these tips!
Stay Safe! Stay Smart!
💙, ALIVE Solutions
