New Yorkers have a wonderful directness tinged with cynicism. It’s not always negative, just point-blank, sincere, and incredibly efficient if your day runs on city minutes. Orla Lacey is the Surf Park Water Safety Manager at Atlantic Park. And yes, she’s from New York. She oversees the lifeguard team and ensures the jobs that need to be done get done. So how does that NYC bluntness fit into the courtesy and niceness of Virginia Beach? Let’s find out.
What is your title?
Water Safety Manager.
What are your job responsibilities?
My job responsibilities are managing and training our lifeguard team at Atlantic Park Surf. We have a team of about 30 lifeguards. Once lifeguards are certified, they must complete four hours of in-service training to keep their skills sharp.
I am also around to make sure that everyone is doing what they are supposed to be doing. I am there to assist the guards if they need anything because the lifeguards’ concern is the guests. My concern is making sure the lifeguards are okay—especially in the summer—making sure they have enough water, put on sunscreen, wear a hat, and use sun protection. I am looking out for them.
You are taking care of all the guards here?
Yeah.
What is an average day like for you?
We check in with the guards as they come in, check in on people throughout the day, and see how everything is going—especially if it is a busy day in the lagoon.
The guards’ number one responsibility is to scan their water zones and make sure everything is safe. We want to limit how much they are doing outside of that as much as possible. When it comes to guest assistance, myself or the Director of Surf Operations will connect the guest with our Guest Services team because the lifeguard’s responsibility is to watch the water. If they are handling something else and not watching the water, that is a big issue.
It is about going out to assist them when they need it. We are also consistently evolving our lifeguard program since we opened in August. I am working on documenting the program—types of in-services, checklists, standard operating procedures—and sharing that with the guards. I love documentation. If I am not out by the lagoon, I am documenting something in our office.
As you document the program, are you refining it in real time, or waiting for review?
Things are constantly evolving here because it is so new, which has been really cool and really challenging. I got this job because I was looking for a challenge. I had been at my last job for eight summers and felt myself growing out of it. I wanted to lifeguard. I knew that I loved it, but I also knew I could do more. I wanted something new that would challenge me and help me develop professionally.
Do you find that wave pools tend to challenge people?
Yes. Big challenge there.
Can you give me an example of something unique about lifeguarding at a wave pool compared to a standard Olympic-sized swimming pool?
Because we are on a session schedule, our lifeguards are much more integrated into the operation than pool guards would be.
We have two separate rotations: a reef guard rotation and a shore guard rotation. Reef guards, while scanning the water, also manage the lineup—making sure people are getting waves in their session and getting their money’s worth. There is a strong guest services aspect.
For us, guest services are next level. Everyone is in a good mood. We are trying to stoke people out, and we encourage the guards to do the same—hype people up, guide them, and manage the flow.
The guard in the control tower is running the sessions. Everything is integrated into the operation, including timing. For example, in the shore guard rotation, at the 50-minute mark, we start the safety briefing and then rotate. It is all tightly connected to the session itself.
You have this on a timer, so everyone needs to be somewhere at a specific time?
Exactly.
Is it hard for guests to follow that?
That has been a challenge—corralling guests and starting the safety briefing on time—but we are figuring it out.
What would you recommend to someone who wants to lifeguard at a wave pool?
For people who have lifeguarded before and want to try something new, I would tell them it is different. It is a much more complex environment.
A lot of flat-water pools have strong preventative safety measures, which is great, but there are things here that cannot be prevented due to the nature of surfing as a fast-paced environment. It is all about riding the line between keeping people safe and allowing people to progress by pushing their skills to new heights.
Do you want to add anything?
I just want to say this place is great. Everyone is so happy. On my first day, everyone was welcoming. I was nervous, but the energy stayed consistent every day.
At first, it almost felt fake, but it is not. I think coming from New York, I kept wondering if I was being pranked, but it is genuinely a joy to come into work. Our guest services team is amazing. The WRV rental team is amazing. It is a great place to be.
It sounds very genuine.
Yeah.
Anything else about the lifeguard team?
I was explaining to a coworker that it can seem like a hard job because when something happens, you have to respond, and there is an adrenaline rush. But with the amount of training we do, I enjoy seeing our lifeguards get the hang of it. You do not have to worry if you know exactly what to do in any scenario. That is what makes our lifeguard team special—the level of training we put in.
