Parents have been given a blunt message that they need to take more responsibility for their children around water after a 5-year-old girl nearly drowned at Wanganui East pool.
Pool manager Toddy Sollitt said the girl had got out of her depth in the main pool and only the quick actions
of lifeguard Lesley Eru averted a tragedy.
Mr Sollitt said the "near thing" at Wanganui East pool showed that swimmers needed to be aware of their own abilities and parents especially had a responsibility to supervise their children.
Earlier this week, Castlecliff Surf Club spokesman Phil Gilmore said foolhardy swimmers were putting their lives at risk by ignoring conditions at local beaches.
Mr Sollitt said whether people were swimming at the city pools or at beaches, parents needed to stay alert.
"A few days ago Lesley Eru, one of our lifeguards, hauled a 5-year-old girl out of the pool because she'd got out of her depth.
"The thing was the little girl's mother was lying down reading a book under a tree at the back of the pool. She wasn't taking any notice of what her little girl was up to," he said.
"We tried to talk to the mother about her responsibility but she just wasn't interested," he said.
Mr Sollitt said while lifeguards did their duty, parents had to take their share of minding their children near water.
"It's not just our problem at Wanganui East, but this sort of thing can happen at the Splash Centre, at the beach, wherever."
He said it was lucky the girl was spotted when she was "otherwise she would have been another statistic."
Mr Sollitt said all the lifeguards at the pool were qualified and included adults and older teenagers on the roster.
"While we've got guards on duty, this isn't all our responsibility," he said.
"We've got learn-to-swim classes and it's time some of these parents used their brains."
He said the incident gave his staff "a hell of a fright".
"We've got to get the message across that this sort of thing can happen very quickly."
