Lifeguards at Disney

[kandb]

I just want to say how great of a job I think the lifeguards at Disney are. I inspect public bathing places as part of my profession and I think that the guards at Disney are the best I have ever seen. Whenever I am at a pool/ocean/lake I always observe the guards. Unfortunately, in NJ this past summer I saw very inattentive lifeguards at the NJ shore. Guards that were looking at each other talking, texting, and one talking to people who were climbing up the lifeguard chair without ever looking at the ocean where the bathers were. I did report this poor lifeguarding. Disney's guards are extremely attentive, stand at the poolside and are very engaged in their duties. It is apparent that they know how to "lifeguard". They deserve recognition for their very important job.

 

[mrsR123]

They are top-notch, I agree. The firsttime we went to Blizzard Beach years ago, I was trying to ask a question about the lazy river and thought the guard whose attention I was seeking didn't hear me or something. Finally he said he was sorry but he couldn't take his eyes off the water but that he'd be happy to answer my question. He was uber focused!

 

[ohboyx3]

I absolutely agree. We has an incident when're our son got caught under one of the rafts at typhoon lagoon. I can't remember the exact ride. My husband was watching and he didn't come up. Before my husband had a chance to dive in, the life guard saw the same thing and started that way. Fortunately by that time, DS had re emerged and he was just fine. It really showed us that they are watching everything. It really impressed my husband.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

ITA. We witnessed an incident at POR this summer. There was a very, VERY attentive lifeguard on duty, and a little girl who apparently couldn't swim (and whose parents were in the bar) went down the slide and didn't come up. I was watching the slide because my kid was due to come down soon, but didn't even notice something was amiss until the lifeguard on duty blew her whistle and leaped 3/4 of the way across the pool and grabbed the little girl out of the water. The guard leaped really, really far (she was close to, but not on, the lifeguard stand right across from the slide), and I swear that by the time she hit the water, the slide and all the other fun water things (sorry, not sure what it's called/what it's supposed to be, but all the piping by the feature pool) had shut down. How coordinated and FAST everything was was amazing to me. The guard pulled the little girl out of the water, and another guard pulled the parents out of the bar. Luckily, she was fine, but man. It was scary. I was so, so thankful the guards are as attentive as they are.

 

[dmccarty]

Over the years, I have seen the lifeguards by the slide jump in a couple of times to pull up kids who went down the slide yet did not know how to swim or forget.

The good thing is that the lifeguards are so fast, I dont think the kids ever realize what has happened to them. The kids splash off the pool, go to the bottom and a lifeguard pulls them up.

During our last trip to AKV, a tropical storm arrived on our last couple of days. Turned out to be great for us since it forced us to stay at the resort which we have been trying to do for years but it is hard to resist the siren song of the parks. Anyway, my youngest and I went swimming both days in the pouring rain! The only people at the pool were us, the lifeguards and a family from Scotland who said the rain reminded them of home!

I really felt sorry for those lifeguards who were bundled up in jackets and pants trying to stay warm. There was just the two of us in the pool most of the time being watched by at least two lifeguards. We were certainly safe!

I too watch the lifeguards and they have impressed me with the consistency of watchfulness. I have noticed this on all of our trips. They really do a great job.

Later,
Dan

 

[bjakmom]

I agree!! We just returned from BWV where the lifeguards were awesome! I had never noticed them 'gridding' the pool before, something they did very frequently this trip. But they did fool me twice with 'drills' where they blew the whistle and dove in to retrieve a black bag from the bottom of the pool. Both times I thought it was a real rescue!
Some of the moms and I were saying they should warn us first LOL - our hearts were racing when they would dive and seeing what we thought was a baby on the bottom of the pool!
Kudos to the life guards!
And twice I saw them have to argue with families who wanted to swim when the pools were closed due to nearby lightning - seriously argued angrily with the lifeguards.

 

[CCole1013]

I agree!

Two years ago i was staying at CBR, and swimming with my son. He knows how to swim, but wasn't exactly strong yet. He wanted to go down slides but refused the vest. I stayed at the bottom of the slide waiting for him, but it took him far too long to come down. I was so worried he would go down a different slide, even though i gave him clear instructions and walked it through with him previously.
Exactly at the time that i swam 5 feet away to glance back at the line, he had come down the slide. As soon as i saw him, the lifeguard was already in the water getting him. It happened SO quickly. I thought i was being as attentive as i could, but he wore a life vest for the next year no matter how good he had gotten at swimming.
She was so quick that he hadn't even gotten to the point of real danger. I thanked her so many times, and even then her eyes never left the pool.

Utterly impressed.

I did see her and the other guards gridding the pool with their hands and eyes. They were militaristic about it. A kid couldnt drown if they tried.

 

[AllyBri]

Please email Disney when you have time and let them know.

 

[CCole1013]

Please email Disney when you have time and let them know.

Im such a dummy. I should have gotten her name and done this a while ago. I will do it anyway. Maybe they can look back to the time frame? Who knows... I know the exact day and approximate time. Worth a shot. She saved my kid.

 

[cobright]

Another props to POR lifeguards.

If you watch them you'll see they keep a rolling count. One in, one out... Like hi/lo counting cards at blackjack.

One lifeguard in particular, we sort of caught each other doing this. I have some anxiety hangups and tend to track people coming into and out of my space and I noticed the LG tracking the same count while I was swimming.

I was impressed. All of them, they move like predators. Changing angles, stalking, just ... moving all the time. Very unlike the common lifeguard in a tower experience.

I made sure my kids thanked them before we left the pool area, too often people come and go regarding them like a piece of convenient furniture. I made a point to compliment the pool staff to the hotel manager the next morning.

 

[WEDWDW]

Im such a dummy. I should have gotten her name and done this a while ago. I will do it anyway. Maybe they can look back to the time frame? Who knows... I know the exact day and approximate time. Worth a shot. She saved my kid.

It was "most likely" a College Progam Cast Member who is long-gone,but you never know-definitely worth a shot.

 

[kandb]

OP here. Still here at Disney, had a pool day at POR today and a lifeguard has to jump in and rescue a girl that was struggling to stay above the water. It appeared she came down the slide and did not have the strength to stay above the water. He blew his whistle, jumped in, rescued her, put here on the side of the pool, mother comes over a few minutes later, he points to the life vests (she only appeared to be 4 or 5 years old), the slide and all water stayed off for around 10 minutes, the mother took child to different part of the pool. I watched and the child still did not have a lifejacket on. The child was playing in around 3 feet of water and I was sitting on a chair and the child's mother was then playing on her I-phone texting and not even watching the child. I mean, come on, your kid could of drown since you were not watching her and now even after the incident, you still don't watch her? Unbelievable.

 

[bumbershoot]

Some of the moms and I were saying they should warn us first LOL - our hearts were racing when they would dive and seeing what we thought was a baby on the bottom of the pool!

I have seen a sign mentioning that testing; I think it was at Sports.

I was impressed. All of them, they move like predators. Changing angles, stalking, just ... moving all the time. Very unlike the common lifeguard in a tower experience.

Good description; like predators.

But I bet the tower lifeguards have their own ways of doing things that are good as well.

 

[Nancyg56]

I just want to say how great of a job I think the lifeguards at Disney are. I inspect public bathing places as part of my profession and I think that the guards at Disney are the best I have ever seen. Whenever I am at a pool/ocean/lake I always observe the guards. Unfortunately, in NJ this past summer I saw very inattentive lifeguards at the NJ shore. Guards that were looking at each other talking, texting, and one talking to people who were climbing up the lifeguard chair without ever looking at the ocean where the bathers were. I did report this poor lifeguarding. Disney's guards are extremely attentive, stand at the poolside and are very engaged in their duties. It is apparent that they know how to "lifeguard". They deserve recognition for their very important job.

they really are wonderful. There are not too ,any places that I would take eyes ff of my DGD, but in WDW I relax a little. They never stop moving, and you can watch them grid the pool constantly.

 

[frankieeyre]

We watched the lifeguards save a kid at typhoon lagoon, the kid flipped off the donut raft and got stuck underneath it, before anyone even had a chance to think the lifeguard was already there! Amazing!

 

[Disneylover99]

I just wanted to chime in and agree. The lifeguards at all the Disney Resorts are AMAZING!!! They are so professional.

 

[WEDWDW]

The lifeguards at all the Disney Resorts are AMAZING!!! They are so professional.

I agree,they are so professional and have to have one of the most stressful jobs at WDW,so I really enjoy seeing them get to have some fun dancing during the "Changing of the Guard" at All-Star Music!

 

[RhettsMom]

The lifeguards at Disney are certified by a very respected company called Ellis and Associates. The training is rigorous and they have to do constant in-services to remain certified. During my college years, I lifeguarded and managed a water park and was also Ellis certified. There is a major difference in these guards and those trained by other companies. I agree that the Disney guards exude professionalism!