AQUATICS

The American Red Cross has been the leader in aquatics training for more than 90 years. You won't find a more complete program addressing the needs of all swimmers - and at all ages - whether you are looking for an aquatics program for yourself or your family. Millions of people choose the American Red Cross swimming and water safety training every year.

If you are looking to take swimming lessons or to become a lifeguard please check with the local pools and park & recreation departments for class offerings.  See list of aquatic facilities and phone numbers below. The Lakeland Chapter only offers courses for Water Safety Instructors and Lifeguarding Instructors; please click on Instructor Training.

Parent and Child Aquatics
Builds basic water safety skills for both parents and children, helping young children ages 6 months to about 3 years become comfortable in the water so they are willing and ready to learn to swim.
Level 1- Introduces basic skills, including safety topics to parents and children. 
Level 2- Builds on the skills introduced in Level 1, with participants improving these skills and learning more advanced skills.

NEW- Preschool Aquatics
Gives young children about ages 4 and 5, a positive, developmentally appropriate aquatic learning experience that emphasizes water safety, survival and foundational swimming concepts.
Level 1- Orients children to the aquatic environment and helps them gain basic aquatic skills.
Level 2- Helps children gain great independence in their skills and develop more comfort in and around water.
Level 3- Helps children start to gain basic swimming propulsive skills to be comfortable in and around water.

Learn to Swim
The Learn-to-Swim courses offer something for everyone. A unique six-level instructional approach is unlike anything offered by other aquatic training programs. Teaches a variety of strokes, including the front crawl, back crawl, elementary backstroke, breaststroke, sidestroke and butterfly. They also introduce a wide range of personal safety skills and diving techniques.
Level 1 - Introduction to Water Skills.
Level 2 - Fundamental Aquatic Skills.
Level 3 - Stoke Development.
Level 4 - Stroke Improvement.
Level 5 - Stroke Refinement.
Level 6 - Swimming and Skill Proficiency.

Water Safety Presentations
These presentations are designed to help increase safety wherever and whenever water activities are enjoyed. American Red Cross Water Safety Presentations teach easy-to-remember safety tips for pools, spas, water parks, lakes, rivers, oceans and more.

Longfellow's WHALE Tales
This program for youth ages 5-12 provides easy-to-follow information to help children learn safety behavior in, on and around the water. Each lesson is reinforced with color posters, worksheets, activities and a video that features Longfellow, the animated whale.

Basic Water Rescue
This 4.5 hour program provides individuals such as public safety personnel, aquatic fitness instructors and aquatic therapists, with information and skills necessary to prevent, recognize and respond to aquatic emergencies. This course will also prepare individuals for aquatic emergencies by teaching them how to protect themselves while assisting others.

Safety Training for Swim Coaches
This 8 hour program provides training in aquatic safety for competitive swim coaches and officials, athletic trainers, athletes participating in aquatic activities, aquatic exercise trainers, and other individuals involved in aquatic competition or exercise programs.

With over 90 years of experience in training lifeguards, the American Red Cross offers the highest quality, most comprehensive program available today.

American Red Cross Lifeguarding
Aquatic facilities are now able to customize lifeguard training to better meet the needs of their aquatic environment by choosing any one of the stand-alone lifeguarding courses from the American Red Cross. The goal is to make it easier for facilities to complete training at their own location, regardless of their facility's features or water depths, and to help participants concentrate on the skills and rescue situations that are most likely to occur while they are on the job.

The Red Cross offers many options for Lifeguard Training:

• Lifeguarding (Traditional Pools)
• Waterfront Lifeguarding
• Waterpark Lifeguarding
• Shallow Water Attendant
• Lifeguard Management