Lifeguard, first aid and recertification
Four steps, in order: a swim test first, then the course, then a refresher when your course card runs out.
- 01
Swim test
Ages 15 and upSkillsA continuous swim of a set distance
Treading water with legs only
Bringing up a brick from the deep end
Moving upYou swim it once with an instructor watching. If a part needs work, we say what to practice and you try again.
- 02
Lifeguard course
After the swim testSkillsScanning a zone and spacing between guards
Water entries and approaches
Rescue carries at the surface
Rescue breaths and compressions on a manikin
Moving upYour instructor signs off each skill, and there is a written check on the last day.
- 03
First aid and CPR
With or after the courseSkillsChecking a scene
Compressions and rescue breaths
Using an AED
Bleeding and burns
Moving upA short skills check with your instructor.
- 04
Recertification
When your course card runs outSkillsA refresher on each rescue skill
What has changed in the guidelines since your last course
Rescue practice in the water
Moving upBring your earlier course card. The instructor checks it at the door.
Sample levels.
Every student moves at their own pace. On the board, the numbers are instructors to participants, in the water and at practice stations.
A course day
Practice in the water, then on the deck
A course day starts with the skills from the day before, then moves to the next one: an entry, an approach, a carry, a set of compressions. Instructors demonstrate once, then watch every student do it.
We stop for lunch and for questions. The last day ends with a written check and a skills check.
Demonstration, then practice with an instructor watching
Rescue breaths and compressions on a manikin
A written check on the last day
Ready for a course?
Take the swim test, then pick a season on our enrollment page.