Keeping an eye on the water, new YMCA technology can help swimmers in distress

A new drowning detection system in Middle Tennessee pools will help lifeguards aid those in need. 

Installation of the sensors started in April for the YMCA of Middle Tennessee and are coming online at its 12 indoor facilities. The program is called Angel Eye, and it’s designed to detect someone drowning or needing help in the water. 

“It’s looking for unusual swimming patterns or a member who becomes incapacitated and goes to the bottom of the pool,” said Holly Sanders, executive director of risk development for the YMCA of Middle Tennessee. 

The system will have sensors either above the pool or in the water. 

If someone is swimming and winds up in distress, Angel Eye sends an alert to a lifeguard’s watch. It pinpoints the location in the pool and sounds the alarm.

As of July, Angel Eye went up in the ceiling of the East Nashville YMCA. By the end of the year, all locations will have the same system. The YMCA of Middle Tennessee first tested Angel Eye in late 2025 as a pilot program. Each system will undergo up to 30 days of testing after installation before being fully incorporated into lifeguarding procedures at each location.

Sanders emphasized this will not replace lifeguards, but help them when seconds are critical. The goal is for the guard to beat the technology to see someone in distress.

“Without the guard, we have no one to get in the water to rescue the member,” Sanders said. “The guards aren’t going anywhere. We are just wanting to add that secondary layer of protection.”