City of Newcastle is leading a Hunter-first trial of AI technology to help pool lifeguards respond to potential incidents up to six times faster.
CCTV cameras are being installed at Wallsend Swimming Centre this week, which will be paired with cutting edge Lynxight AI technology to help monitor the 50m, learners' and toddlers' pools.
An aerial view of Wallsend Swimming Centre.
Chair of City of Newcastle's Sports Infrastructure Working Party Cr Peta Winney-Baartz said the technology will help address safety concerns around higher attendance levels expected at the pool during the current $2 entry fee trial.
"City of Newcastle is working in partnership with our specialist pool operator BlueFit to ensure our pools continue to meet the expectations and evolving needs of our community," Cr Winney-Baartz said.
"Adequate lifeguard coverage, security measures and crowd management strategies are essential in maintaining the safe and efficient operations of our pools, especially with higher visitor numbers predicted this summer due to the $2 entry fee trial endorsed by the elected Council."
City of Newcastle's Executive Manager Community and Recreation Lynn Duffy lifeguards remain essential to pool supervision.
"This technology will help strengthen the prevention and rescue role played by the lifeguards, who remain essential to pool supervision," Ms Duffy said.
"It empowers them with the tools to respond faster and more effectively and has already shown its lifesaving capabilities elsewhere in Australia, with a male swimmer rescued in Perth in June after suffering a medical episode and slipping below the surface."
BlueFit Deputy CEO Brett McEwin said keeping the community safe was a key priority.
"Bluefit has experience using this technology as it is installed in other pools we manage outside of Newcastle. As part of the installation at Wallsend, our lifeguards will be given comprehensive training so they're ready to use it once the system is activated," Mr McEwin said.
The installation of the Lynxight AI system comes at a critical time with The National Drowning Report 2025 revealing there were 357 drowning deaths over the past 12 months at pools, beaches and other waterways, which was 27% higher than the 10-year average.
Published by Royal Life Saving Australia and Surf Life Saving Australia, the report also highlights 129 drowning deaths occurred in New South Wales, representing a 30% increase.
The AI software tracks multiple swimmers simultaneously, then uses deep learning algorithms to analyse swimmer behaviour to identify unusual or dangerous actions in real-time.
Multiple cameras offer a 360 view, eliminating blind spots and glare, to provide lifeguards with a complete understanding of what's happening above and below the water, with signs of potential distress sent straight to their waterproof smartwatches.
The technology is already in use at more than 75 public pools across Australia.
"Wallsend Swimming Centre was identified as the most suitable location to trial the Lynxight AI drowning prevention system due to the site characteristics, which create more line-of-sight challenges for the lifeguards," Ms Duffy said.
"This will allow us to properly assess the effectiveness and viability of the technology before making a decision on the investment of a broader roll-out to our other inland pools."
Swimmers can be confident of maintaining their privacy as the system does not record high-definition video for surveillance purposes, instead focusing on movement detection. It does not identify individual swimmers or capture any identifiable personal data.
The system is expected to be ready for activation at Wallsend Swimming Centre in December.
