Diving Safety Tips

The nice weather has finally arrived and the pools will be open soon! You will be keeping cool and staying active in no time. Swimming and diving are favorite summer activities for both adults and children; however, there is also the risk of injury.

According to the ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation:

• As many as 1,000 spinal cord injuries occur each year due to shallow water diving
• Ninety percent of all diving injuries cause a spinal cord injury which results in paralysis
• Most injuries occur to males aged 15-25 years
• Most injuries occur while diving into six feet of water or less
• Three out of four injuries occur in lakes, rivers, oceans and other natural bodies of water

 

Tips:

First and foremost, before you dive into any depth of water - be sure to jump feet first the first time. This allows you to familiarize yourself with the waters. The recommended depth to dive from the side of a pool is 11 feet, while the recommended depth for diving from a diving board is 12 feet. If you are diving from a diving board, dive straight from the board and not from the sides. It is not advised to dive from various structures, such as ladders, slides, fences, etc. As always, follow posted water safety rules and always supervise children while diving and swimming.

A majority of pool-related spinal cord injuries result in paralysis of all four limbs.

 

Suspected Injury

If there is a suspected injury in water, call 911 immediately. Because the victim could be in pain and/or shock, approach the victim carefully. If they are not on their back, carefully hold the victim's head in alignment with his or her back and gently turn him or her onto his back. It's imperative to keep their head and back stabilized. Do not remove the victim from the water until EMS arrives.

The Lifeguard Store has all of your spinal equipment needs.

Product Spotlight: AntiWave Racing Lanes

 ForeRunner Racing Lanes

AntiWave's most popular line of racing lanes, the AntiWave ForeRunner Racing Lanes, are designed after their wildly successful 6-inch Maximum Lanes, which were used in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. AntiWave's racing lanes use hydromatic propulsion to disperse the waves along the lane line then down to stop all momentum, creating perfectly tranquil water. AntiWaves' lanes’ disk diameters are 4.75 inches, which provide even greater wave-quell capability than the standard 4-inch lanes offered by in the industry. With AntiWave's production facility in Sanger, Texas, they are capable of meeting all of your production needs quickly, where they are consistently out performing their competition in price and value.

• Disc Diameter: 4.75 inches
• Made of UV stable resin plastic which reduces the risk fading and deterioration caused by long term exposure to sun light.
• Equipped with the unique Supertensioner®
• Molded and assembled in their Sanger, Texas facility
• Come with a limited 3-Year Warranty
• Available in 17 colors (custom colors at orders of 720 ft. or more)
• Available in standard or custom lengths.

Maximum 6” Racing Lanes

 

Antiwave's Maximum Racing Lanes are the most effective racing lanes in the world. Having been used in the 2000 Sydney Olympics where the Australian Olympic team coach declared the pool to be "a virtual millpond" and 15 World Records were set, showing that Antiwave's racing lanes are truly the best. 

AntiWave's racing lanes use hydromatic propulsion to disperse the waves along the lane line then down to stop all momentum, creating perfectly tranquil water. 

• Are equipped with the unique Supertensioner®
• Made of UV stable resin plastic which reduces the risk fading and deterioration caused by long term exposure to sun light.
• Are molded and assembled in their Sanger, Texas facility.
• Come with a limited 3-Year Warranty
• Available in 17 colors (custom colors at orders of 720 ft. or more)
• Available in standard or custom lengths.

2.5” Mini Lane Divider Kit

The Mini lane dividers are designed to be a cost-effective, lightweight yet durable demarcation system. Although not intended for competitive swimming use, the Mini lane dividers are ideal for marking off areas in community pools, lakes or beaches. With some wave-quell effect, they are a marked improvement over the conventional buoy/rope lines.

• Disc Diameter: 2.5 inches
• Equipped with the unique Supertensioner®
• Made of UV stable resin plastic which reduces the risk fading and deterioration caused by long term exposure to sun light.
•  Molded and assembled in their Sanger, Texas facility
• Come with a limited 3-Year Warranty. 
• The Lifeguard Store offers 12 colors
• Available in standard or custom lengths

About AntiWave

AntiWave was founded in 1977 by a former professional water polo player, Anton Kajlich. Having been used extensively in national and international swimming competitions around the world, their first Olympics were in the 1972 Munich games. AntiWave has since been featured in several other Olympic games included Sydney’s in 2000 where we contributed in breaking 15 World Records. They have also been featured in over 50 internationally recognized events. With an approach founded on an insistence on quality, value for money, service and innovation, AntiWave continues to challenge competitors and consumers alike: how good do you want to be?

Shop Antiwave Now!

Lifeguard Apparel: The Basics

As a lifeguard, you have a very important role - saving lives. When there is an issue or someone has a question, you are the person people are looking for. With this said, you want to be seen! This is why wearing Guard Apparel is important in order for you to do your job. 

Depending on your location, your summers can be hot one day and cool the next. If this is the case, you want to dress in layers that can easily be taken off in case of an emergency. We sell a variety of Guard Apparel to suit the temperature changes in your area! Check out our RISE Guard Hoodie and our RISE Guard Tee. We also carry sweatpants, jackets, rashguards, and more!

Don't stop with just apparel, you need accessories too! With the sun blazing on you day in and day out, you need something to protect your face and eyes from the sun! We offer many visors and hats in a variety of colors ranging from red to khaki. We also offer many different styles of sunglasses with polarized lenses that offer UV protection.

The Lifeguard Store offers the best quality at the best price.

Product Spotlight: Water Aerobic Equipment

Are you looking to tone up without the havoc on your joints? If so, water aerobics is a great way to get a full body workout! Resembling traditional barbells, these weights can give you quite the workout! 

Benefits

One of the major benefits of water aerobics is that there are fewer burdens on your joints and muscles. Because of this, there is less of a chance you will get injured or have muscle soreness. Typical exercises like running and lifting weights are known to be hard on your joints. If you are having trouble with regular exercises, you will find relief with water aerobics. Another great benefit of water aerobics is that your heart rate is roughly 17 beats per minute less than regular exercising. While this means good things for you heart, you will also increase your lung capacity and increase your flexibility! 

Water Aerobics Equipment

• Jog Belts – Helps with balance and buoyancy in water
• Resistance Gloves – Used to enhance the natural resistance of water
• Resistance Hand Bars – Used above water for support and stabilization. Used underwater for resistance.
• Swim Bar Floats – Used for balance and stabilization.
• Wrist/Ankle Weights – Adds resistance for aqua aerobics or therapy.

Common Water Aerobic Exercises

• Water Walking – Use the resistance gloves and walk across the pool in waist-height water, swinging your arms while you walk.

• Pool Plank – While standing on the pool floor, hold a noodle or a swim bar float with both hands. Press it into the water and lean forward until your body is at an incline. This is a great ab exercise!

• Bicep Curls – Hold hand bars in each hand at your hips with palms facing up. While keeping your elbow near your body, bend your arm until your arm reaches shoulder height. 

Other Items

If you are a pool owner, you may need some other items such as a storage system or other H20 Equipment such as a treadmill or stepper.

Choosing a Women’s Lifeguard Suit

Women’s lifeguarding suits come in an array of different styles which may leave you questioning which style is best for you. It’s important to learn which style suits you best because different brands offer different cuts, styles, and material. Let’s get started.

 

One-Piece Suits

The most popular women’s lifeguard suits are one-pieces due to conservative dress code policies at certain facilities. These suits are made from fabrics like polyester, nylon, and spandex as well as Lyrca. Lyrca is known for its stretching ability which allows you to wear it comfortably for an extended amount of time. Another feature these suits have to offer comfort is a keyhole and/or open back. This helps with the suit fitting properly and comfortably both in the water and out. These suits traditionally come in either red or blue; however, The Lifeguard Store offers them in red, navy blue, royal blue, as well as black. Reversible suits are an option as well which allow you to have two colors in one.

Two-Piece Suits

There are also two-piece suits available for women, Bikinis and Tankinis. To some women, one-piece suits can seem to give them discomfort while a two-piece aids with mobility and allows them to work at ease. Most bikinis remain modest without cutting very low to refrain from showing too much skin. These suits are made from similar fabrics as traditional suits, including Lyrca. Tankinis are very similar to bikinis except the top covers more skin, typically past the belly button. Reversible suits are also available in two-piece suits.

 

Lifeguard Apparel

Because the weather not always be nice, it’s important to wear other Lifeguard Apparel in layers. Such items include shorts, t-shirts, hoodies, and jackets. These items need to be quick to pull off in an emergency situation and must be labeled with Guard or Lifeguard.

How to: Choose the Right Life Jacket

With the sun beaming down on you and the water spraying you, there will be those moments where not wearing a life jacket is tempting. Luckily, modern life jackets come in a variety of styles, colors, and sizes for you to choose the best fit. With that said, how do you choose!? 

 

Your life jacket must be U.S. Coast Guard approved, the proper size, in good condition, and needs to be properly stowed when not being used.

Sizing

The proper size of your life jacket depends on your height and weight, check the manufacturer's label to make sure you have the correct size. Once you have done so, make sure you fastened the jacket properly. You want to be able to move freely and comfortably. To ensure you have the correct size, hold your arms above your head and ask a friend to pull up from the tops of the arm openings. If there is excess room above the openings or your jacket rides up past your chin, you have the wrong size.

Common Life Jackets

 Vest Type II - These are the most common styles that are typically found on boats of all sizes. They require little maintenance, offer good flotation, and are less bulky than offshore vests. These types of vests can even turn unconscious wearers face up.

Children's Life Jackets - These are specially designed for smaller stature as well as possible immersion in mind. Similar to the original vest type, these offer very little maintenance. Depending on the brand, some of the children's life jackets offer special safety features for children.

Vest-Type Floatation Aid - As with the other vests, this vest requires little maintenance and is designed for possible immersion. This style is designed for high impact, high speed activities such as waterskiing. These type of jackets may not turn unconscious wearers face up.

If you are still having trouble which life jacket would be best for you, we would love to help you out!

Product Spotlight: Competitor Lane Lines

Imagine that you show up to a swim meet and there isn't swim lanes - that's a crazy thought isn't it? When swimming competitively, these lanes are not only used to help you stay away from others swimmers but also to help with draft and dead spots. Our top-of-the-line Competitor Lanes give you calm water for you to trudge through in order to beat your competition!

 

The Lifeguard Store has many options when purchasing your custom swim lanes that are perfect for your pool. As you know, pools come in many different sizes. For competitive swimming, the two common sizes are a Short Course and a Long Course. The Short Course is 25 meters long and is the common size of public swimming pools while the Long Course is 50 meters long, also known as Olympic sized. If you are looking for different lengths, we offer more sizes such as our 60' lane, 75' lane, or we even offer our 60' 6" Gold Medal Lane.

 

 

Want your swim lanes customized? We take it a step further! That's right. Here at The Lifeguard Store we allow you to have full control of the look of your lanes. Do you want your lanes to have just two colors? What about having two different colors for your middle segments and a distinctive 15 meter marker? The options are endless! Be sure to check out our Competitor Lane Viewer to see what colors look the best for your pool. Unlike our competition, we have 12 colors to choose from!

From cables to floats, we sell a wide variety of replacement parts to keep you in the water!

Product Spotlight: Rescue Tube

Also known as a Rescue Buoy, the Rescue Tube is a vital piece of equipment when it comes to water rescue. Lifeguards worldwide use these flotation devices when rescuing victims from harsh waters or foul play. The Rescue Tubes not only make  rescue easier by supporting an incredible amount of weight, but it also serves as identification of certified lifeguards.

Rescue Tubes come in various sizes, but typical tubes are either 40" or 50". The size of the swimming area determines which size Rescue Tube would be best. For example, the 40" Super Rescue Tube is preferred if a swimming pool is fairly small or if there is 10 or less people swimming at one time. For a larger pool, our 50" Super Rescue or our 50" Standard Rescue Tube would be ideal! Our Standard Rescue Tube comes in a various amount of colors which include Red, Yellow, Orange, Navy, Tropical Blue, Aqua Blue, or Hunter Green.

Most of the typical rescue tubes are red, but why not switch things up? We have unique designs that will make you stand out. Do you love animal print? If so, you will absolutely love our 50" Zebra Rescue Tube or our 50" Giraffe Rescue Tube! If animal prints aren't your thing, but you still want something unique we have a one-of-a-kind 50" Splash Rescue Tube that offers just enough character. All of our rescue tubes are reliable, durable, and long lasting.


 
Early versions were constructed of aluminum, wood, cork, and fiberglass, with rope rails.





Do you want to show your love for Lifeguarding outside of the water? What about your love for swimming? The Lifeguard Store has Mini Swim and Mini Guard Rescue Tube Key Chains that make the perfect accessory.

As always, all of our Rescue Tubes are Low Price Guaranteed.