NW-Bound
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2008
- Messages
- 35,712
Here, people are encouraged to sign up the kids for swimming lessons. They can teach kids as young as 3.
Just a couple of years ago a young kid got killed by a gator at Disney. There are news stories every year about kids getting bitten (at best) during the summer rainy season when the gators move into the drainage ditches near houses, places where there's usually no water but the rains bring enough for the gators to move in. It's the wild, wild south down there.
There was a video posted a while back on the internet which a gator climbed a fence. I can believe it. The only gators I've encountered are by the waters edge while playing golf. Don't go near the water to retrieve your ball.Friend in FL had to be very careful to keep his dog in an fenced enclosure by the house. The gators were known to snatch dogs from waters edge and that is that, as they say. Kids are also advised in some areas to avoid certain waterways but I have no personal experience so YMMV.
During the 3 major hurricanes that wrecked FL in 2004, the snakes and gators were displaced and some were walking and crawling in the streets some near down live power lines.Just a couple of years ago a young kid got killed by a gator at Disney. There are news stories every year about kids getting bitten (at best) during the summer rainy season when the gators move into the drainage ditches near houses, places where there's usually no water but the rains bring enough for the gators to move in. It's the wild, wild south down there.
I think you just build the pool fence into the design. In our last house we had a glass fence, because we didn’t want to ruin the view. There are ways to do it. No pool fence and young kids is a recipe for disaster imo. Just not worth it. We wouldn’t even move in to our current house until the fence was in.
A fence is absolutely a requirement, but it’s not all there is to pool safety. When I’m working, I prop the gate open. Guess who strolled into the pool area when I wasn’t looking - my 5 year old granddaughter. Thankfully I got taught a lesson on the cheap. Nothing bad happened. Adult attention to the kids is so important as well as overall attention to details. There’s no doubt that attention to safety is a factor in whether or not to have a pool.
We never bought one, but I believe they now have pool alarms that you can arm when you are done using the pool and will sound loudly of there is motion in the pool. Could save a life.
Florida, gators been seen around.
We don't have a safety fence around our pool. Our granddaughters are 5 and 2. When they are over here, one of us is with them at all times, especially if outside. When we are inside, we also lock all doors to the backyard. They are sliders with double locks. We have 3 gates into the backyard on our main fence and they are always padlocked as well.
I don't even think a safety fence would work around our pool. It's built on a slope. We have a raised beam on one side and an inverted beam on the other. So there are 3 different levels of decking, with a 3-foot elevation change between each, with stairs.
Also, our yard backs up to a private lake, with about 250 feet of shoreline. There's no fence on the lake. So there's not much point in putting one on the pool. We just have to be extra vigilant when the grandkids are here. The 5 year-old knows how to swim and they have a pool at home (with a fence). So they are both very familiar with pool rules and safety.
Basically any waterway in FLA which is not the ocean, one should expect there can be gators in there.
I'm on the Gulf side, and I've seen gators in the Gulf in the Fort Myers/Bonita Beach area. Freaked me out a bit. I kayak in the bays and rivers and don't worry when I see gators. But I swim in the Gulf.
You can still add a "something just entered the pool" alarm as other posters have mentioned...had I a private pool I'd add that in addition to the fence.
With regards to fences and gates, I'll admit I've left mine propped open a few times. ................
With my luck, if I didn't have a fence and a gate, I'd end up with a dead deer in there! As it is, rescuing frogs, toads, lizards, and snakes is a common occurrence. I found a dead rabbit in there once. And a dead mole. ..?
Thanks. Yeah, I saw pb4 mentioned that earlier. I'll definitely look into that. Won't help with the lake though.
I'm on the Gulf side, and I've seen gators in the Gulf in the Fort Myers/Bonita Beach area. Freaked me out a bit. I kayak in the bays and rivers and don't worry when I see gators. But I swim in the Gulf.
The kayaking concerns me from time to time. Always wondered if a large gator could tip over the kayak.
The kayaking concerns me from time to time. Always wondered if a large gator could tip over the kayak.
The kayaking concerns me from time to time. Always wondered if a large gator could tip over the kayak.
Here's one that did. The kayaker managed to escape.