AOAP Blog

What is the Aquatic Professional (AqP) Designation? The AqP (Aquatic Professional) designation, awarded by the Association of Aquatic Professionals (AOAP), is a verified recognition for professionals in the aquatic management field. This designation demonstrates that you have the required experience, certifications, education, and ongoing professional development to be recognized nationally for your qualifications. The AqP was created to highlight the dedication of aquatic pr

Aquatic facilities generate a wealth of data every day—from lifeguard performance and training records to chemical balance readings and pool closure logs. The challenge isn’t just collecting this information to be in code and safety compliance and risk aware, but using it to improve operations, enhance safety, and make informed decisions. With digital documentation software, aquatic professionals can easily track and analyze key data points, helping to identify trends, spot p

TAP Into Your Resources Ensuring swim instructors have the right tools is crucial for effective teaching and student success. Incorporating child development skills into staff training for swim instructors is a fantastic idea. Understanding the stages of child development can significantly enhance the effectiveness of swimming lessons. Child development can be divided into stages, and experts also identify four areas of development: Physical development: Strength and physica

It is estimated that trained lifeguards make as many as 100,000 rescues across the United States each year and are a critical layer of protection to prevent and respond to emergencies at pools, waterparks, waterfronts and the ocean. And with post-COVID staffing shortages, lifeguard opportunities took center stage in many communities. Many job postings and conversations highlighting the great things lifeguarding offers including flexible hours, higher pay than ever before alon

In today’s increasingly diverse and inclusive society, it’s important to create an environment that recognizes and respects every individual's gender identity, particularly in competitive and workplace settings. Lifeguards, as crucial members of a team that ensures safety at aquatic facilities, should be supported in ways that allow them to thrive. Here’s a guide to implementing best practices that promote inclusivity and enhance safety and comfort for lifeguards, especially

You’ve started an inclusive summer camp program, or swimming lesson program, and now your kids show up to the pool with their specialist or their paraprofessional. Now what? How do we, as Aquatic Professionals, best support our inclusion support staff? To dig into this, we looked at what successful support and pool days look like from specialists’ viewpoints. Mark Rembrant has a son who was diagnosed with autism in 2005. They had advantages that a lot of families do not inc

One of the hardest parts of working in the aquatic industry is feeling comfortable with the idea of your staff responding to incidents at your facility. There are so many unknowns and so much opportunity for error. However, with the right training mindset you can help ease some of that worrying by ensuring that your staff are prepared for real-world situations. A common misconception is that in-service training time should be dedicated to reviewing and running drills similar

Over the past few years, the importance of documenting data, moving records to digital platforms, and using that data for decision-making has become clear in the aquatics industry. Aquatic professionals understand the need to track chemical levels, pH balance, and other water quality indicators to ensure pools meet safety guidelines and avoid closures or health risks. We also keep track of maintenance, repairs, and equipment replacements to minimize downtime and make sure eve

by Kate Connell, Senior Manager of Sales & Strategic Partnerships at HydroApps & Chair of the AOAP Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee A diversity statement for an organization is a formal declaration or statement that outlines the organization's commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belong (DEIBA). It typically articulates some of the organization's primary values, policies, and actions related to promoting diversity within its workforce, operati

As the aquatic industry recovers from the worst of the national lifeguard shortage, many organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to find motivated staff to move into leadership positions. Staff that are promoted into leadership positions such as “Head Guard” or “Pool Manager” are often young, relatively inexperienced, and not interested in sticking around for more than a season or two. Training new leadership teams takes a lot of time and effort on an operator’s p

Allen Dunn, Aquatics Manager, PWCS Aquatics Center Hosting a swim meet of any size can be a daunting and stressful task. Having a thorough plan, backup equipment, and knowledgeable team members can make things significantly simpler. Here is a breakdown of the process we have developed at the PWCS Aquatics Center for hosting swim meets: Planning Full-Scale Equipment Test: The swim meet season at a facility may vary widely depending on how large the facility is and whether it i