For many campers, water time is one of the most exciting parts of their summer. Swimming sessions, canoe trips, paddleboarding time, or afternoons at the lake can become defining camp memories.

Camp leaders, however, know aquatic programming also represents one of the highest-stakes areas of risk.

Drowning is a leading cause of death among children in the United States. Youngsters ages 1 to 4 are more likely to die from drowning than any other cause, and drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5 to 14. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates the United States experiences about 4,000 fatal unintentional drownings and 8,000 nonfatal drownings each year. Nonfatal drowning can result in serious, long-term consequences, including brain damage and permanent disability (CDC, 2026).

That makes aquatic safety different from many other camp safety concerns. A minor mistake on a hiking trail or athletic field may result in an injury that can be treated and managed. In the water, however, the window for recognizing a problem and responding effectively can be much shorter.

The good news is camps don’t have to rely on a single safeguard to manage the risk. Effective aquatic safety comes from layers: 

• Qualified staff
• Appropriate supervision
• Skill verification
• Emergency preparation
• Equipment
• Clear procedures
• Ongoing monitoring

The goal is not to eliminate every risk associated with aquatic activities. Instead, it is to build a system in which multiple safeguards work together so one missed observation, staffing challenge, or unexpected change in conditions doesn’t become a tragedy.

Why Aquatics Deserves Its Own Risk Review

Aquatic programs should receive a dedicated safety review before each camp season rather than being treated simply as another program area.

The reason is straightforward: aquatic activities involve specialized hazards and require specialized skills. A pool, lakefront, and canoeing program may all involve water, but the risks and controls are not interchangeable.

The American Camp Association (ACA)’s current accreditation standards recognize this distinction. The standards address areas including swim lifeguard certification and skills verification, watercraft guard certification and skills verification, aquatic supervision ratios and aquatic emergency procedures (2026).

ACA also emphasizes an important point for camp operators: certification alone doesn’t demonstrate that a staff member can perform the skills necessary for a particular camp. Camps are responsible for verifying and documenting skills appropriate to their program, including site-specific rescue and emergency procedures (2026).

That distinction matters.

A staff member may possess a current lifeguard certification, for example, but the camp’s waterfront may present conditions that require additional site-specific training. A natural body of water may have limited visibility, an uneven bottom, changing weather conditions, currents, or other hazards that differ significantly from those encountered in a controlled pool.

In other words, the question shouldn’t simply be, “Is this person certified?” It should also be, “Can this person safely perform this role at this location, under our conditions, using our equipment, and following our emergency procedures?”

Where Aquatic Risk Hides

Not all aquatic risks look alike. Pools generally provide a controlled environment, defined boundaries, and relatively predictable water conditions. Natural bodies of water introduce variables that camps can’t completely control.

A lake or pond may have a soft or uneven bottom, sudden changes in depth, vegetation, glare, or limited visibility below the surface. Rivers may add current and changing water levels. Weather can rapidly alter conditions at an otherwise familiar waterfront.

The location of drowning risk also changes with age. According to the CDC, more than 40 percent of drowning deaths among children ages 5 to 14 occur in natural water, compared with more than 35 percent in swimming pools. Among people ages 15 and older, almost half of fatal drownings occur in natural waters such as lakes, rivers, and oceans (CDC, 2026).

For camps serving multiple age groups, those statistics reinforce the need to evaluate each aquatic environment independently.

A lifeguard is Not a Substitute for a Safety System

Having a certified lifeguard on duty is an essential component of aquatic safety, but it shouldn’t be treated as the only part that matters.

Drowning can happen quickly and quietly. The CDC identifies lack of close supervision as an important drowning risk factor (2026). At a busy camp waterfront, a lifeguard may be responsible for monitoring numerous swimmers at once. Glare, blind spots, crowded conditions, and the movement of swimmers can make observation more difficult.

This is where additional layers of supervision can help.

A camp might use the following in addition to lifeguard coverage:

• Buddy checks
• Frequent headcounts
• Designated water watchers
• Clearly defined swimming areas
• Camper group assignments

For natural bodies of water, camps may also incorporate regular open-waterfront searches conducted by qualified and trained staff of areas where. These can include: 

• Dock sweeps
• Inspections beneath and around inflatables
• Anchor chain inspections
• Observations around watercraft tied to docks
• Searches beneath dock ramps and other structures where a submerged swimmer could go unnoticed

The objective is to reduce the number of variables a single person has to manage and create additional opportunities to identify a problem quickly.

The National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA) recommends designated water watchers who provide active, uninterrupted supervision and rotate approximately every 15 minutes to help maintain attention. The organization also recommends making the water watcher easily identifiable (NDPA, 2022).

The concept is simple: someone who is assigned specifically to watch the water shouldn’t simultaneously be answering a phone, helping with another task, or carrying on a side conversation.

Swimming Ability Can Change Too

Camps also face the challenge of accurately understanding campers’ swimming abilities.

A swim assessment at the beginning of the season is useful, but it shouldn’t be considered the end of the conversation. Campers may develop skills during the summer, while fatigue, illness, anxiety, unfamiliar environments, or changing water conditions can affect performance.

A camper who performs confidently in a shallow, calm pool may behave differently when swimming in a lake for the first time.

Tiered swim classifications, clearly identified swimming areas, and appropriate supervision can help camp staff match activities to individual abilities. Staff should know which campers are weak or nonswimmers and understand what additional controls those campers require.

The Staffing Squeeze

Aquatic safety becomes even more challenging when camps are competing for a limited pool of qualified seasonal workers.

Lifeguard shortages have affected public pools and aquatic facilities across the country in recent years, with some communities responding by reducing hours, limiting capacity, or closing facilities. Industry estimates have frequently placed the shortage at roughly one-third of US public pools (Torchinsky, 2022).

For camps, the implications are significant.

A staffing shortage doesn’t reduce the level of supervision needed to operate an aquatic program safely. It simply makes it harder to meet the requirements. That can create pressure to stretch existing staff, combine responsibilities, or accept candidates who may not have the appropriate qualifications for the specific environment.

Those are precisely the circumstances in which camp leaders should resist the temptation to treat certification and training as negotiable.

ACA’s certification and training resources emphasize that camps should confirm certifications are appropriate for their programs, meet applicable state requirements, and satisfy insurance requirements (2026). Camps also should verify and document the skills staff members need for their specific responsibilities.

Build Layers, Not Single Points of Failure

A strong aquatic risk-management program does not depend on one safeguard working perfectly every time. Again, camps can build layers to reinforce one another.

Consider a typical afternoon swim period. A camper enters the water after passing the camp’s swim assessment. Staff members have confirmed the camper’s classification and assigned the appropriate swimming area. Certified aquatic personnel are actively supervising the water. A designated water watcher provides an additional set of eyes. Staff members conduct scheduled headcounts or buddy checks. Emergency equipment is readily accessible. Radios provide a means of communication. An emergency action plan has been practiced.

Each measure addresses a different potential failure point.

If a camper becomes fatigued, supervision provides an opportunity for staff to recognize the problem. If someone goes missing, a reliable headcount can identify the discrepancy quickly. If an emergency occurs, trained personnel and accessible equipment can shorten the response time.

That is the value of a layered approach.

A Practical Aquatic Safety Checklist

Before the season — and throughout it — camp leaders should consider the following:

• Verify certifications and site-specific skills. Make sure each aquatic staff member’s certification is appropriate for the activity and environment they supervise. Verify site-specific rescue skills, emergency procedures, and equipment use rather than relying solely on a certification card.
• Establish active supervision expectations. Define exactly what “watching the water” means. Supervisors should understand scanning responsibilities, blind spots, camper assignments, headcounts, and buddy procedures.
• Consider a designated water watcher. A water watcher can provide another layer of active observation. Rotate the responsibility approximately every 15 minutes, and use a visible badge or vest so staff members know who currently has the assignment. Where appropriate, camps may also equip water watchers with a reaching pole approximately six to eight feet in length. These poles can provide an additional non-entry rescue option by allowing staff to extend assistance to a struggling or fatigued swimmer and help guide them safely to a dock, shallow water, or other point of safety.
• Make aquatic shifts phone-free. A no-phone policy should apply specifically to staff actively supervising aquatic activities. Radios or other reliable communication devices can provide an alternative when staff members need to communicate.
• Conduct regular skills refreshers. In-service training should continue after staff orientation. Staff members should practice rescues, emergency communication, missing-person procedures, and other responses.
• Know the environment. For natural water programs, inspect swimming areas and account for changing conditions, depth, visibility, currents, weather, water temperature, access points, and other site-specific hazards. Waterfront inspections should also include areas that may present concealed risks, such as beneath docks, under dock ramps, around anchored inflatables, along anchor chains, and around boats or other watercraft secured to docks. Camps should establish procedures for qualified and trained staff to conduct periodic waterfront searches of these locations throughout the season.
• Keep emergency equipment accessible. Rescue equipment should be appropriate for the activity, readily accessible, and routinely inspected. Camps should also consider automated external defibrillator (AED) placement and retrieval time as part of their emergency planning.
• Practice the emergency action plan. An emergency plan is only useful if staff members know how to execute it. Practice until they understand who calls for help, who retrieves equipment, who clears the water, who conducts a systematic search of the water and designated waterfront structures, who meets emergency responders, and who accounts for campers. When practicing missing-swimmer scenarios, staff should have clearly defined responsibilities for water searches.
• Review insurance coverage before programming begins. Pool swimming, natural water activities, and boating can present different exposures. Camp leaders should discuss aquatic programming with their insurance professional before the season and make sure the camp’s activities, procedures, and coverage are aligned.

Remember, the planning window is the safety window. The most effective time to address aquatic risk is before campers arrive.

By the time the first swim period begins, most of the important decisions should already have been made. That preparation also gives camp leaders an opportunity to identify problems while there is still time to solve them.

If a camp discovers in May that it doesn’t have enough qualified aquatic staff, it has options. It can recruit additional staff, adjust programming, schedule additional training, limit participation, or change operating hours.

If the same problem is discovered after campers arrive, the choices become more difficult — and the pressure to compromise can become greater.

The same principle applies to insurance.

A preseason conversation with an insurance professional can help camp leaders understand how their aquatic activities fit within their risk-management program and identify questions before an incident occurs.

Aquatic safety ultimately comes down to readiness.

The camps best positioned to provide safe, enjoyable waterfront experiences aren’t necessarily those with the newest pool, the largest waterfront, or the biggest aquatics staff. They are the camps that understand the limitations of any single safety measure and deliberately build layers of protection around their campers and staff.

When those pieces work together, camps create something more valuable than a checklist. They build a safety system designed to withstand the unexpected — and give campers the opportunity to enjoy the water while camp professionals focus on what they do best: creating meaningful summer experiences.

Helpful Resources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Drowning Facts and Risk Factors — cdc.gov/drowning/about/index.html
• American Camp Association: “Aquatic Certification, Training and Skills Verification Resources” — ACAcamps.org/accreditation/accreditation-academy/certification-training-skills-verification-resources
• National Drowning Prevention Alliance: “Active Supervision: How Lifeguards and Water Watchers Work Together” — ndpa.org/how-lifeguards-and-water-watchers-work-together/
• Church Mutual Insurance Company, SI: “Recreational Boating Safety Guide” — churchmutual.com/resources/recreational-boating-safety-guide
• Applicable state and local health, boating, and aquatic safety regulations — search for your state online

Setting Up a Water Watcher Rotation

Use a designated water watcher as an additional layer of active supervision — not as a replacement for qualified lifeguards or the camp’s established supervision requirements.

• Designate one watcher at a time. Make sure everyone knows who is responsible for active observation.
• Rotate every 15 minutes. Short rotations can help maintain attention and reduce fatigue.
• Eliminate distractions. Water watchers should have no phones, side conversations, or other duties.
• Equip watchers appropriately. Where permitted by camp procedures, provide water watchers with access to a reaching pole approximately six to eight feet in length. A reaching assist can allow staff to help a fatigued or struggling swimmer reach safety while minimizing risk to the rescuer.

Photos courtesy of McGaw YMCA Camp Echo, Evanston, IL.

References

American Camp Association. (2026). Certification, training, and skills verification resources. ACAcamps.org/accreditation/accreditation-academy/certification-training-skills-verification-resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2026, January 27). Drowning prevention. cdc.gov/drowning/about/index.html

National Drowning Prevention Alliance. (2022, October 20). Supervision. ndpa.org/supervision/

Torchinsky, R. (2022, June 5). Lifeguards are scarce and it might be affecting your local pool. NPR. npr.org/2022/06/05/1102951892/nationwide-lifeguard-shortage-affects-third-of-pools

Sarah Veader is the assistant vice president of risk control for Church Mutual.