There are many ways to enjoy a visit to the beach. From surfing to sunbathing, the sand’s edge encompasses some of the most enjoyable human experiences. For some, the preferred activity involves little more than wandering the shore with a pair of keen eyes looking for treasures in the form of sea glass.
Access to swimming pools is an essential factor in learning to swim. As obvious as that may seem, social and economic barriers have for decades prevented many underprivileged groups from sharing in the benefits of aquatic sports. Swim instructor, Robert Trotman, spent more than a half century working to change that.
The most beautiful bodies of man-made water aren’t worth much without the people who maintain them. The profound importance, and enduring nature, of the traditional independent pool service industry was on Eric Herman’s mind as he attended this year’s, forty fifth edition of the Western Pool & Spa Show.
Over the past two years, WaterShapes has devoted considerable coverage to the drought, and for good reasons that have become familiar to anyone who’s been paying attention to the issue. Still, there is some cause for optimism with the arrival of recent drought-busting storms.
Are dark clouds gathering on the economic horizon? Many people think so, and are feeling that way with growing frequency and deepening levels of concern. As Eric Herman points out, based on past experience in periods of looming financial strife, this is the time to plan for a changing business landscape.
The lines are being drawn. In a narrative that has become familiar to many in the watershaping industry, pools, spas and other water features are at risk of severe filling and even building permit restrictions as a result of the historic drought impacting some of the industry’s western markets.
The sound of moving water is universally appealing, be it in nature or built environments. As editor Eric Herman points out here, using sound in a deliberate and thoughtful way, adds a vibrant dimension to the aquatic environment and ultimately the client experience, one that they may not have fully anticipated.
To quote Charles Dickens, this is the best of times and the worst of times. As the industry grapples with extreme demand, it also faces a host of challenges that make meeting that demand all the more difficult. Now, it’s starting to look like drought can be added to the list of dark clouds looming […]
By Jim McCloskey
WaterShapes started 12 years ago as the result of a lengthy round of discussions between Eric Herman and me — an exchange of ideas that has