Pools are pulling plug on deep ends, fearing safety hazard

Post Gazette ^ | June 30, 2003 | Jason Straziuso

[hole_n_one]

PHILADELPHIA -- The diving boards were pulled up in the 1980s, and now deep ends are being deep-sixed.

The rectangular municipal pool that many Americans grew up swimming, splashing and diving in is fast being replaced by shallow water park-style pools featuring spray toys and water slides.

[gitmo]

Pools are pulling plug on deep ends, fearing safety hazard

I was wondering how they managed to pull the plug on the deep end. Reminds me of the story of the guy who drilled a hole on his wife's side of the boat.

[Think free or die]

I sure hope this trend doesn't take over the Phila suburbs next. Yikes!!!

Our kids were motivated to learn to swim so they could play in the deep end. They have a grand time jumping into the water and diving for pool toys in the depths. Without a deep end, they'd be bored to tears. Having a deep end also means that there's one section of the pool where adults can swim a bit without interfering with games of Marco Polo. Of course, that's assuming the adults can swim . . .

[Dr. Frank fan]

Fun is too unsafe. For the sake of safety, this country will outlaw all forms of fun over time.

[FourPeas]

The old-style "drowning pools" won't be missed, aquatics expert Tom Griffiths said. By having an all-shallow pool, more people can enjoy more of the pool, said Griffiths, director of aquatics at Penn State University.

In the older pools, "people were breaking their necks, so they took out the [diving] boards, but then they were left with a drowning pool. Children were sliding down that slope into the deep end," Griffiths said.

Wrong Mr. Griffiths (I shudder when I type this -- Griffiths is my maiden name), they WILL be missed. At nearly 40 years of age, a former lifeguard and avid swimmer, your characterization of the many dangers is over stated. Everything in life poses some sort of danger; life simply can't be made entirely safe. Trying to do so has created our current generation of victim whiners.

[luckystarmom]

We went to one in Texas that was like that. It was great! It had the park equipment, and it had a thing called a lazy river. My kids loved the lazy river. It was about 5 feet deep, and had a fast moving current that carried people around a track.

They had diving boards, but my kids liked the lazy river the best.

I wish we had a pool complex like that one where I live in Silicon Valley.

[nygoose]

You are fabulous. Those kids are so lucky to have you raising them. I hope you plan to arm them ASAP!

[Frapster]

My kids learned to swim in 4 feet of water. They didn't need a deep end. Our public pool utilizes a deep end for diving. Beyond that I see nothing wrong with the idea of having a pool that gets no deeper than 6 feet if diving isn't an option. In fact - I'd love to have a community pool like they described.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

I heard on the radio last year, that many American families are removing their backyard swimming pools. I cannot say that I am surprised, with the threat of civil action looming. Also, I doubt if a pool increased your property value at all, in a great part of the country.

[Khepera]

BTW, people drown at the beach. Will there be a move toward shallow oceans?

No, they will outlaw swimming in the natural environment. You heard it here first.

[Dianna]

Hmm... no deep end, so the kids don't really ever have to learn to swim.

Getting rid of the deep end and diving boards is ridiculous, but I REALLY like the gradual entry thing. It's just so much easier if you have a little one.

[Henchster]

"And less depth means less water, which means lower water bills, he said."

Do these liberal idiots actually believe this crap?

OK, you may save water on chemicals and electricity/gas with a smaller gallonage, but a pool that is simply shallower, with the same surface area, uses the same amount of water, as water can only evaporate from the SURFACE of the pool, not the bottom.

[FourPeas]

Beyond that I see nothing wrong with the idea of having a pool that gets no deeper than 6 feet if diving isn't an option

As a kid, I fondly remember dropping objects to the bottom on the deep end and swimming the 10 feet to the bottom to get them. It developed good breathing, muscles and good planning skills. Six feet just wouldn't have done it. Children need this sort of activity, whether it's in swimming, biking, dodgeball or whatever. All this silly take-away-the-risk emphasis is breeding sissies.

[Thud]

ping

[Theophilus]

Hmmmmm, this sounds familar. At our zero depth entry, 4ft max "water park" with slides, fountains and squirters, there have been repeated problems with ruffians who know not the meaning of "desist" and for whom the whistle has to be blown every thirty seconds. I recently remarked to my wife, that if the water depth were increased by mere 2ft, those kinds of problems (quite dangerous) would quickly go back to the public basketball courts from whence they came.

[nygoose]

Sometimes things are so obvious that we never think of them. Thanks.

[Ramius]

a pool that gets no deeper than 6 feet if diving isn't an option.

When, again, is diving not an option?

[Ramius]

The gradual entry thing is interesting. I haven't been to a pool like that, but it sounds like a nice way to do pool design.

But... it should get plenty deep at the other end. It's just the right thing to do. Kids need to learn how to dive *headfirst* into deep water. They need to learn how to tread water.

But these shallow-water pools ignore one really important remaining liability: What about the really short kids? :-)

[Frapster]

it's one thing to dive off the side of a pool and quite another to dive off a 3 foot or 10 foot board into 6 feet of water.

[FourPeas]

These aren't "swimming" pools, they're splashing pools. Splashing in shallow water requires much less physical exertion. Actually swimming, keeping oneself afloat while playing is much more strenuous. Article after article bemoans the fattening of America and at the same time, we're removing opportunities to exercise, because they're not safe.

I've enjoyed recent family vacations we've taken to area waterparks, but the one thing missing is the swimming. With maximum 5 or 6 foot depths, and usually one a few few square feet of these, any sort of meaningful swimming is difficult. This is sad. Mr. FourPeas may yet talk me into a pool in our backyard -- one with a deep end.

[Ramius]

Well, yes. But still... kids can still get a disastrous neck injury in a four foot pool diving from the edge. That's what they are talking about in this story. Six feet would apparently be far to deep for these folks.