Course Purpose
The primary purpose of the American Red Cross Lifeguarding program is to provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to prevent, recognize and respond to aquatic emergencies.
Participants also learn to provide professional-level care for breathing and cardiac emergencies, injuries, and sudden illnesses until emergency medical services professionals take over.
Course Prerequisites
To participate in the Lifeguarding Including Deep Water course, participants must be at least 15 years old on or before the final scheduled session and successfully complete two prerequisite swimming skills evaluations.
Swim-Tread-Swim Sequence
Complete this sequence within 1 minute, 40 seconds:
- Jump into the water, fully submerge, resurface, then swim 150 yards using front crawl, breaststroke, or a combination of both.
- Maintain position at the surface for 2 minutes by treading water using only the legs.
- Swim 50 yards using front crawl, breaststroke, or a combination of both.
Timed Brick Event
- Starting in the water, swim 20 yards.
- Submerge to a depth of 7-10 feet to retrieve a 10-pound object.
- Return to the surface and swim 20 yards on the back while holding the object at the surface with both hands.
- Exit the water without using a ladder or steps.
Course Length
Approximately 7 hours online, 25 hours in-person, including breaks.
Course Preparation
Make sure you are confident with the prerequisites before class. These evaluations are conducted as soon as the course begins, and participants cannot continue if they are unsuccessful.
Complete the eLearning before the first in-person class session. The eLearning is sent in the confirmation email after registration. If you have questions, please .