Water World - please could you give me some advice?

[LottieandMia]

My dd, aged 13 has come home from school with a letter about a trip to Water World. It says that your child must be a competent swimmer to attend.

I'd say dd is a reasonably competent swimmer - she can do various strokes but I don't know whether it's implying danger.

Sorry I know I'm overthinking this but I'm not sure what level she needs to be. Has anyone been?

Bump, anyone?

Yep. I live round the corner from there. I've only got 3% battery left but give me time for a cuppa and to charge up and I'll reply properly.

The short version is there are lots of shallow bits and play bits but the main look does go quite deep and has a periodic wave machine which produces quite powerful water motion. There is also a god awful water drop thing which is like a funnel - you drop in the top and it whirls you round and drops you out. I would be telling her to avoid that!

I nearly drowned in the wave pool at waterworld! I had to be fished out. But that was about twenty five years ago, and I'm not a particularly strong swimmer.

Sorry - back now. I'm pretty cautious with water and I've got an 8 year old who can competently swim with various strokes and a 5 year old who is still in armbands. I would let the 8 year old in the wave pool if she stays within her depth (there are signs) but no way out of her depth, simply because when the wave machine kicks in you need to be able to either be stronger than the waves or get to an area within your depth. I don't go in that pool filled with joy! It makes me a tad anxious if I'm honest. The rest of the place is open plan pools and waterways lots of which are in depth and they have things like lily pads and ropes where you try to step from one to the other and fall in, but it's quite tame.

There is also the space bowl funnel thing - it starts with a slide and ends in a bowl/funnel which spins you round from centrifugal force then deposits you in a very deep pool with clear sides so people can watch. I can swim well and have done lots of scuba diving and that thing fills me with dread, it looks horrible. The other areas are very tame and suitable for toddlers and young kids - ankle and knee depth water with climbing bits.

If you do a google images search of water world Stoke, you'll see lots of photos.

How old is DD?

Omg, I don't like the idea of it if you can nearly drown! She's 13 but she's a tiny little thing - she is about the size of a 9/10 year old. She has been able to swim very well since she was 6 but she's not a county swimmer or anything and as I say she's tiny.

Kids that age are allowed in without parents st the door IIRC. As I say, have a look at the images and make a judgement.

I'd be inclined to query with school as surely it's a bit off to say 'if you can't swim you can't go' - that would preclude about 25% of my DDS class. How many adults will be with them making sure they don't get carried away?

Ah wow thought you must've been talking about a much younger child. I'd defo let a 13 yo go. There will be lifeguards too and children can usually go swimming alone from 8. I'm guessing teachers will be in too.