The course path

Four steps, one after the other

Start with the swim test, take the course, and return to recertify when your card is due.

01
The swim test
Ages 15 and up
Skills
- A continuous swim at a steady pace
- Treading water with the hands out
- Bringing an object up from the deep end to the wall
Moving up
When the swim test is done, the instructor opens a place in the next course. A student who needs more practice is welcome to come back to a test day.
02
The lifeguard course
Ages 15 and up
Skills
- Scanning the water and spotting a swimmer in trouble
- Rescue entries, carries and getting a swimmer out of the pool
- Using a rescue tube and a backboard
- Working as a team on a rescue and writing the report
Moving up
The course ends with a skills check in the water and a written test. The instructor tells you where you stand the same day.
03
First aid and CPR
Ages 15 and up
Skills
- CPR for adults, children and infants on a manikin
- Using an AED
- Choking, bleeding and when to call for help
- Handing a patient over to the people who arrive
Moving up
It is taught inside the lifeguard course and on its own in an evening class, for camp counselors, coaches and anyone who needs it for work.
04
Recertification
Current guards
Skills
- A review of rescue skills in the water
- CPR and first aid, refreshed
- A short written test
- What has changed since your last course
Moving up
Come back before your card runs out. There is no level after this one: you recertify again when the time comes.

Where to startRegister for a course

Sample levels.

Course dates and hours change with the season; the enrollment page has the latest.

What a day is like

A course day, step by step

Every course day follows the same shape, so you always know what comes next.

01
Step 1: Sign in and rinse
We take attendance on the deck, go over the plan and the signals, and everyone rinses before getting in.
02
Step 2: Skills in the water
Entries, carries, rescue tube and backboard work, one skill at a time with an instructor beside you.
03
Step 3: Skills on the deck
First aid, CPR and the AED on manikins, then scenarios that tie the skills together.
04
Step 4: Check and wrap-up
A short skills check or review, and the instructor tells you where you stand before you leave.

For camps and pools

Staff courses, at your pool or ours

A camp director or a pool manager can book a course for a whole staff. We plan the dates around your season and tell you who needs the swim test first.

Ask about a staff course

Pool staff
Lifeguard and recertification courses for the guards who work your deck, scheduled before the pool opens.
Camp counselors
First aid and CPR for counselors and activity leaders, in an evening or a morning at your camp.
Coaches and managers
A refresher for the people in charge: what the guards on duty have practiced and what to do on the first minute of an emergency.

In the course

What practice looks like

A course group kneels around a training manikin on a mat with their instructor — Learning CPR on a manikin

Sample

Two students practice rescue breaths on a manikin while the instructor watches — Rescue breaths with an instructor

Sample

Students practice chest compressions on a manikin as the instructor counts — Chest compressions, counted out loud

Sample

Sample photos.

Ready to pick a date?

See the sessions by season, or register for the next course.

The swim test

The lifeguard course

First aid and CPR

Recertification

Step 1: Sign in and rinse

Step 2: Skills in the water

Step 3: Skills on the deck

Step 4: Check and wrap-up

Pool staff

Camp counselors

Coaches and managers