pool step height

My parents just bought a new house with a pool so I have been helping them set up.. As you can see their deck is almost a foot above the pool! The ladder that was left with the poop is ridiculously low to get into the pool or out of.. From the bottom of the pool to the top of the entry deck...

Our pool is a 4' - 4.5' - 4' sport pool. We have 3 steps that have a 12" rise and 12" width. One thing we didn't take into account was the additional height the coping and leveling mortar added. The first step is now 16" down which does not seem safe. I am trying to figure out the best solution...