Whether you’re planning to hit the beach, send your kids off to camp, or take a trip to a water park this season, it is important to educate your kids about water safety and ensure your family is well prepared in case of emergency.
About Great Wolf Lodge
We recently stayed at Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, Virginia. Great Wolf Lodge is a family resort and entertainment complex that features a huge indoor water park.
Even though it was not peak season, there were kids running everywhere and a lot of things going on! We love going to Great Wolf Lodge because the water park offers something for everyone – from a relaxing lazy river and hot tubs to fast slides and even a surf simulator – in addition to a ton of land-based fun activities!
Great Wolf Lodge is the largest family of water parks in North America with 20 resorts from coast-to-coast. It has been voted as the number one indoor water park by USA Today’s 10Best.com Reader’s Choice and recognized with a TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice designation.
About Great Wolf Lodge Baltimore/Perryville Maryland
The newest Great Wolf Lodge opens June 14th in Perryville, Maryland! Just an hour from Baltimore and under 45 minutes from Wilmington, Delaware, this brand-new Maryland Great Wolf Lodge is loaded with fun! Attractions include gem mining, an interactive mining experience inside a mirror maze, a multi-level ropes course, bowling alley with kid-friendly lane sizes, an arcade, mini golf and a Build-A-Bear Workshop!
Great Wolf Lodge Baltimore/Perryville features an always 84-degree, 128,000 square foot indoor water park. Activities include 22 slides, a lazy river, wave pool, small kids play areas, and more. This Maryland resort will also be the very first to feature the High Paw Holler and Forest Flume slides! Free family activities including Story Time and Yoga Tails featuring Wiley the Wolf and his furry character friends are included with your stay!
The resort will also offer its signature MagiQuest immersive gaming experience throughout the resort. It will also have several dining locations including the charming Barnwood full-service restaurant featuring local wineries.
Great Wolf Lodge: Industry Expert in Water Safety
One of the best reasons to choose to stay at Great Wolf Lodge is that it ranks safety as its first priority. Great Wolf Lodge has consistently been recognized by Ellis & Associates with its top award for water safety. Ellis & Associates is a renowned International Aquatic Safety and Risk Management Consulting firm that works with many of the top theme parks, water parks, and swim schools across the world to ensure water safety.
Since opening its first resort in 1997, Great Wolf Lodge has welcomed millions of families and accumulated a wealth of advice to help keep families safe around water. The Direct of Aquatics at the Williamsburg resort, Kyle Kramer, summarized the 11 of the top safety tips for us to share with readers. We have also included a Printable PDF Water Safety Tips sheet that you can pin up on your fridge, review with your kids, and take with you on your vacation.
Great Wolf Lodge’s 11 Tips for Water Safety
#1 – NEVER SWIM ALONE
Always use the buddy system! Ensure the area is well supervised by lifeguards or other adults before you jump in the water.
#2 – ALWAYS WEAR A LIFE JACKET
Many public pools and water parks including Great Wolf Lodge provide life jackets for your use free of charge. It is better to be on the safe side and use a life jacket if you or your child is not a confident swimmer.
#3 – KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON KIDS
Even with lifeguards nearby, you are still responsible for watching your child. If you are with a group of people, always make sure you know who is in charge of the kids. The best way to keep your child safe is to play right alongside them…..And it is a great excuse to try out the Wolf Rider Wipeout surf simulator too!
#4 – STAY HYDRATED
Dehydration can cause dizziness and disorientation. Kids may not want to take a break from playing, but drinking lots of fluids is important, especially during the hot summer months. Drink plenty of water or sports drinks before you get thirsty! Take breaks and rest in a cool location.
#5 – FORGET THE BLING
Before heading to the beach, pool or water park, avoid swimsuits that have ties, grommets or decorations that could get caught on something during water activities. Besides that, you don’t want to have a wardrobe malfunction when you’re careening down Totem Towers!
#6 – SKIP THE FLIP FLOPS
Look for sandals with a heel strap or a full-coverage slip-on water shoe that will stay in place both in and out of the water. This also helps head off stubbed toes and scraped up feet from walking around on the concrete.
#7 – TOO MUCH SUN IS NO FUN
If you’re headed to an outdoor pool or beach, be sure to limit your exposure during peak mid-day hours of 12pm-3pm. Re-apply waterproof/sweatproof sunscreen every 80 minutes.
#8 – TAKE A CPR COURSE
Knowing CPR skills can be important in any environment – on land and around water. If you cannot get to a course right away, Hands-Only CPR is easy to learn and can also save lives.
#9 – ADHERE TO ALL SAFETY RULES
Read all of the posted safety signs before going on a waterslide, pool, or attraction. Make sure your child meets the posted height requirements and knows how to position themselves safely in the ride. If you have questions about an attraction or need a safety demonstration, ask an employee at the facility.
#10 – PLAN AHEAD
As a family, decide on a meeting place to go to if anyone gets separated. Kids can take off in an instant. Crowded parks and beaches can make it even more difficult for little ones to find you. Choose an easy-to-spot location that can be easily found by all family members.
#11 – CALL FOR HELP
If you see someone in danger, call for help! Remember “Reach or Throw, Don’t Go!” Get some help, throw a life preserver into the water, or make sure you have a buddy if you need to go in the water to help someone. Remember “Reach or Throw, Don’t Go!” Even trained professional lifeguards do not go into the water without an approved flotation device to keep them safe. Get some help, throw a life preserver into the water, or make sure you have a buddy if you need to go in the water to help someone.
Thanks to Kyle Kramer at Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg for preparing these helpful water safety tips for us to share! To visit Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg or any of the other indoor water park resort locations nationwide, visit Great Wolf Lodge Resorts. Be sure to sign up for special offers and consider visiting during Halloween or Christmastime because the resort goes ALL OUT to celebrate!
**Remember to pin up the Great Wolf Lodge Water Safety Tips Printable on your fridge and take a copy along for handy reference when you’re traveling!
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This is some really good information about water safety. I liked what you explained that you need to drink a lot of water. It might also be smart to get some good water for you to drink. I know if I have water I like I would be more likely to drink it.
Thanks for all the resources, tips and tutorials. I was pool-workout-curious, now I can’t wait to get into the pool!
I LOVE doing the water aerobics classes. A lot of the participants are seniors and they used to be surprised to see me, but now I am a regular 🙂
I’ve always wanted to go to a Great Wolf Lodge! It looks so fun! Great tips!
These are great tips. I wouldn’t have thought about not having pretty things hanging off a bathing suit getting caught on the equipment.