Awful experience in wave pool

[Keirasean]

Please be careful in wave pool.
Bit of a story from last week day before blizzard beach shut for maintenance overhaul. I am a strong swimmer (swam for county in early teens albeit now early forties. )
Have had a bad chest infection just before holiday so been on antibiotics and steriod inhaler as breathing wasn't great but feel generally fine just a bit short of breath sometimes.
I was swimming with DD6 who can swim unaided but cannot tread water for long periods and older DD10 and DD12 who are strong swimmers.
Anyway we were in wave pool nearer rope in deep bit and I was holding DD6 on my waist jumping waves as I could just reach bottom to bounce up again when the wave was at it's low point. Pool was crowded with other people in rings and one hit me and pushed my round and lost rhythm. Wave crashed over my head. My only thought was DD6 I was now trying to tread water and supporting DD6 being battered by rings. Was struggling for any breathe and had panic attack (never had one before) . Lucky an english guy saw me (no life guards did yet there are loads of them on the pool) it happened so quickly. The english guy shoved a ring at me and DD6 to hold. DD6 was fine and didn't realise the seriousness. I managed to get to shallow end and stood for 5 minutes trying to catch breath and calm down.
I never got to thank the guy. He was my hero.

So just thought I'd mention it to prevent anyone else experiencing something similar. The inflatables and number of people do increase the risk. No matter how good a swimmer I thought I was! Maybe need to realise I am old and too unfit.

[churchy]

They are a minefield. If you stand just below knee high you can assure you will be swept along the bottom and get cut to ribbons. Get deeper and risk getting clattered by bodies.
Great fun but highly risky

[Floridaagogo]

Glad you are both ok ! Just goes to show how easily it can happen x

[dvc]

My comment would be avoid the deep part until your breathing is better, this could happen again

[BucksBugsy]

I think I will stick to the lazy rivers...I can cope with the waves in those.

[ShenzyT]

My sister had a bad experience in the wave pool @ BB just before it closed. She got knocked to her feet and couldn't get up. It was horrible, she was in a right state. She avoided the wave pool after that - don't think she'll be up for going in again any time soon.
xx

[Universal VR]

On a lighter note..my sister was there years ago and a wave lifted her up and she lost her footing, flailed around and somehow (goodness knows how), her foot ended up down the front of a man's trunks! The more she struggled to free it the 'worse' the situation got. When she told us about it she said "my foot was right on his bits and I could FEEL them! Ew!" We tease her about it now but it does show the strength of those waves. Care is definitely needed.

[poohsfriend]

I just don't understand why they have the surface they have with such strong waves. The first time we went we were all barefoot as we didn't realise and all had cut feet. This time I saw a young girl who had an abrasion over the whole of her back - it must have been so sore for the rest of the holiday. I put my knee down to balance me and instantly regretted it. Why do they need such a sharp surface - I am amazed they haven't been sued considering the litigious nature of some Americans

[Jenfie80]

A similar thing happened to my mum while we were at wet and wild years ago. I had gone to buy ice cream so didn't see it, but she had my daughter with her, luckily the lifeguards jumped in and rescued her. They stopped the waves too but it was still very scary for my mum, who's main concern was making sure my daughter was safe xx

[Mr Tom Morrow]

Originally Posted by Universal VR

On a lighter note..my sister was there years ago and a wave lifted her up and she lost her footing, flailed around and somehow (goodness knows how), her foot ended up down the front of a man's trunks! The more she struggled to free it the 'worse' the situation got. When she told us about it she said "my foot was right on his bits and I could FEEL them! Ew!" We tease her about it now but it does show the strength of those waves. Care is definitely needed.

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That poor Man! Did she really have to stay like that for 4 hours though!