Lifeguard Certification

• Minimum Age: 15 years old 

Swim-Tread-Swim Sequence 

1. Jump in, submerge, resurface and swim 150 yards using the front crawl, breaststroke or a combination of both.
   • Swimming on the back or side is not permitted.
   • Swim goggles are allowed.
2. Maintain position at the surface of the water for 2 minutes by treading water using only the legs.
3. Swim 50 yards using the front crawl, breaststroke or a combination of both.

Timed 
Complete a timed event within 1 minute, 40 seconds.

1. Starting in the water, Swim.
   • The face may be in or out of the water
   • Swim goggles are not allowed.
2.  ​Surface dive (feet-first or head-first) to a depth of 7 to 10 feet to retrieve a 10-pound object
3. Return to the surface and swim 20 yards on the back to return to the starting point, holding the object at the surface with both hands and keeping the face at or near the surface.
4. Exit the water without using a ladder or steps.

American Red Cross Certification Requirements: attend all class sessions; demonstrate competency in all required skills, demonstrate competency in 3 final skill scenarios, and correctly answer at least 80% of the questions on the final written exams

For the Complete Course

• 7 hours of online pre-work must be completed at least 48hrs in advance of the course begin date. Participants will be sent the link to complete via email. Please ensure your email address is updated at the Front Desk; that is where the link will be sent to.
• Prerequisites will be performed on the first date of the course session. If participants are unable to complete the pre-work on time or unable to demonstrate the pre-requisites on the first date of the course, it is an automatic fail per the American Red Cross.
• ALL online pre-work and prerequisites (300 yds. swim, brick, tread) MUST be completed satisfactorily prior to continuing the course.
• There will be a maximum number of 10 participants per instructor in each class, first come, first serve.

For more information, contact Aquatics Director, Erin Brown at 252-291-9622 or ebrown@wilsonymca.org