Lifegaurd course??

Question

Does anyone know how hard the lifegaurd certification class is, because i have to go to one on the 17-20 and i just wanna know what i got myself into

Answer 1

Hello.  As a long-time Lifeguard Instructor I can speak to the standard Red Cross Lifeguarding course.  This class takes about 36 to 40 hours, so if you've signed up for a 4 day class it might be something different.  4 9-10 hour days would be pretty strenuous, especially back-to-back.  Maybe if they had you do all the reading assignments ahead of time?

Anyway, the Red Cross class is moderately strenuous.  About half the course is in-water, the other half is classroom.  There are reading assignments to be completed outside of class as well.  It includes CPR and First Aid training.

Before taking the class a person needs to be at least 15 years old and be able to swim 500 yards continuously without stopping using front-crawl and breast-stroke.  They also must be able to recover a 10-pound weight from a depth of 9 feet.  It is very helpful if the Lifeguard candidate can swim side-stroke and elementary back-stroke, tread water, and is generally confident in the water.

Anyone who is generally fit and a moderately good swimmer can usually do the physical portion of the class without much problem.  The students who have failed my classes are usually poorly motivated, fail to do the reading assignments, and display a bad attitude in class.  Anyone who tries hard and does the reading assignments, and who starts with reasonably good water skills, should usually pass the course with few problems.