Junior Lifeguard Camp makes waves at Wild Rivers in Irvine
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Wild Rivers opened for the season back in May, marking its fourth summer at the Great Park in Irvine.
“We are entering our fourth season, so people are starting to know we are here,” said Susan Kruizinga, director of sales and marketing at the waterpark. “It has always been a struggle being in the middle of the park because there wasn’t a lot of development around us.”
As the Irvine Company continues to activate areas of the Great Park with plans for a large scale music festival at Great Park Live and the anticipated opening of the Canopy at Great Park, a new 12-acre experiential retail and dining destination, Wild Rivers has seen an uptick in attendance.
An indicator of the increased interest is the enrollment for the waterpark’s Junior Lifeguards Camp, a one-week summer camp for kids ages 6 to 12.
“Not only has our camp grown, but we are sold out of the first six weeks, and probably will be for the remaining weeks after that,” said Kruizinga.
Wild Rivers moved to the Great Park in Irvine in 2011, after closing its former location at Irvine Meadows. The original park opened in 1987 on what was once the site of Lion Country Safari. The new park is nearly double the size of the old one, with more than 25 water slides and attractions. More than 200 little swimmers enrolled in this year’s Junior Lifeguards Camp, which is directed by Kristen White.
“Kirsten really is the reason the camp program as grown so much,” said Kruizinga. “She puts her heart and soul into the program and making it better every year.”
During the five-day camp, kids learn key water safety techniques and basic first aid combined with core values like teamwork, resilience, respect, compassion and courage.
Camp day begins with staff welcoming junior lifeguards with a camp song.
“It gives kids ownership and an identity in the camp,” said White. “And then they go home and sing it to their families, which is so much fun.”
The day is divided between structured learning time, organized activities and plenty of free play.
“We do designated activities in each of pools and we rotate, so the kids each get a chance at playing at the bottom pool of Tower One, which is Boomerango and Aquaconda, or going to the Lazy River, where they might do rescue relays or battle boats.”
On a recent afternoon, campers wearing the Junior Lifeguards red rash guard uniform reviewed CPR training with a stuffed sea turtle named Congo used as a stand in for a baby sibling. Throughout the week, the kids also learn how to remove gloves safely, what to do if there is a blood spill and more.
“We teach things like how to remove a bee sting, what to do in the event that you are stung by a sting ray ... just basics that we are all exposed to in Southern California,” said White. “And they are conversation pieces. Our hope is that they are going home and talking to their parents about it.”
Since the park first opened, White has taken feedback from parents and kids to make changes to the Junior Lifeguard program, with the intention of creating a more enjoyable experience for families. This year, the camp offered a half-day option with a pick-up time of approximately 1 p.m. and a full day option with a pick up time of 5 p.m.
White said they also created more variety in the lunch menu served over the five days with choices like mini corn dogs, pizza and French fries along with vegetarian and gluten-free options for kids with special dietary needs.
This year, Wild Rivers is piloting a new leadership program called Leader-in-Training for older campers.
“We’ve got so many families who have been in this camp for a couple years, but the kids are aging out of the program so it’s like, what’s next?” said White.
The Leader-in-Training is invitation only and this year, 12 campers are part of the pilot program, learning how to become great leaders while helping younger campers stay safe.
While the first six weeks of Junior Lifeguard Camp is already full, registration is still open for the weeks of July 27 - 31, Aug. 3 - 7 and Aug. 10 - 14.
Wild Rivers will keep the fun going after the season ends on Sept. 7. Kruizinga said guests can look forward to special events in the fall.
“We have some events coming up in October, such as Filipino Heritage Night and an Octoberfest beer festival,” said Kruizinga. “We are slowly adding more special events as we get to know people in the community that want to help out with that.”
Wild Rivers Waterpark is located at 10000 Great Park Blvd., Irvine. For tickets visit, wildrivers.com. For details on registering for Junior Lifeguards Camp, go to camp.wildrivers.com.
