Are You "Water Aware?"

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WUSA) -- The giant cascade of water at the center of Great Wolf Lodge-Williamsburg is a kid favorite... along with the twisting, turning slides and giant wave pool.

But all that gushing water provides an extra challenge to the lifeguards, especially when the water park is at peak capacity with anywhere from 1700 to 1800 children a day.

Josh Henderson is the director of aquatics at the 67,000-square-foot facility. He says lifeguards must "see what's going on and decipher whether or not we have a small child in trouble. Because of the way the light bends, it makes things look different from the lifeguard's stand."

Henderson says Great Wolf's lifeguards are put through rigorous training and are monitored by undercover "spot-checks" of how well they're doing their jobs.

But he says even the most attentive lifeguard can't take the place of the number one defense against drowning: a parent.

Henderson says, "Lifeguards were never meant to be babysitters. Lifeguards are there to react and respond to emergency situations. They can't provide direct supervision for every single child in a pool. That's the parent's responsibility."

Safety experts say, ideally, if you are the parent of a weak or non-swimmer, you should be at arm's length of that child at all times.

Andrea Katholin of Virginia Beach is the mother of a toddler. She says, "I think its just really important for parents to be attentive with their kids all the time, because it doesn't take a lot for something scary to happen."

Unfortunately, she's right. Babies and toddlers can drown in minutes, even in shallow water.

At the Great Wolf water park, Josh recommends young children wear a Coast Guard approved life vest, which can help keep their heads above water if they get tired or topple over.

Henderson says, "I think its just an overall respect and understanding of what the water is capable of doing. The CDC lists drowning as the second leading cause of death for children under the age of 14. A lot of people don't know that. It's scary, and that's why we're out here saying that parental supervision and the Coast Guard approved life jacket can drastically bring those numbers down."