Harvard University Recreation

During training, participants are required to demonstrate knowledge acquisition and skill competency in four main areas:

• Foundational lifeguarding concepts (recognizing distress and drowning, surveillance and scanning, and recognizing and preventing injury)
• Water rescue and extrication
• Resuscitation (ventilations and CPR/AED) and first aid
• Individual and team rescue and response

After completing the course, participants will be able to: 

• Demonstrate the professionalism required for working as a lifeguard.
• List the lifeguard's responsibilities related to ensuring a safe physical environment for patrons. 
• Understand the lifeguard's critical role in preventing death and disability from drowning. 
• Identify the behaviors of a swimmer, a distressed swimmer, an active drowning person and a passive drowning person.
• Demonstrate proper technique for scanning and rotations.
• Describe the general procedure to follow when responding to a water emergency.
• Demonstrate how to safely and effectively perform assists. 
• Demonstrate how to safely and effectively rescue a person when they are at or near the surface of the water or submerged. 
• Demonstrate how to safely and effectively extricate a person from the water using rapid extrication techniques.
• Demonstrate how to safely and effectively rescue and extricate a person from the water using spinal motion restriction techniques.
• Describe the general procedure to follow when responding to a medical emergency.
• Demonstrate care for respiratory arrest using a resuscitation mask and a bag-valve-mask (BVM) resuscitator.
• Demonstrate high quality CPR and use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) as a single rescuer and as part of a multiple-rescuer response with up to four rescuers.
• Demonstrate the ability to work as part of a team to implement an emergency action plan (EAP), perform a rapid and secondary assessment and provide resuscitative or first aid care.
• Recognize and care for sudden illnesses and injuries that may affect people in an aquatic facility.

• Participants must be 15 years of age on or before the last scheduled session of the course.
• Sucessfully complete the prerequisite swimming skills evaluation:
  • Swim-Tread-Swim Sequence:
    • Swim 150 yards using the front crawl, breaststroke or a combination of both.
    • Maintain position at the surface of the water for 2 minutes followed by treading water using only the legs.
    • Swim 50 yards using the front crawl, breaststroke or a combination of both. 
  • Timed Event:
    • Complete a timed event within 1 minute, 40 seconds. 
    • Starting in the water, swim 20 yards without goggles. 
    • Surface dive to a depth of 7 to 10 feet to retrieve a 10-pound object. 
    • Return to the surface and swim 20 yards on the back to return to the starting point with both hands holding the object and keeping the face at or near the surface. 
    • Exit the water without using a ladder or steps.

Lifeguard Training: $350

Lifeguard Training Review: $200

Lifeguard Instructor Training: $400

There is a $50 non-refundable fee to register for all classes. Reimbursements, minus the $50 non-refundable fee upon registration, are only granted for documented medical conditions and withdrawal requests made at least two weeks prior to the class start date. 

Pre-registration is required for all classes; same day registration is not available. Online registration is available and can be accessed here. 

If you are registering for a Lifeguard Training Review course, copies of your current basic-level certifications must be emailed to aquatics@fas.harvard.edu before your class instructions and assignments can be sent to you. 

We offer both traditional certification courses as well as Blended Learning web-based/in-classroom style courses. Blended Learning combines online learning with in-person skills sessions conducted by a Red Cross certified instructor. The blended learning online sessions offer students a variety of elements to learn program content including videos, lesson narration and special interactive features. This allows for individualized, self-paced learning. Once the online session has been successfully completed, students practice skills and are assessed by the instructor during the in-person skills sessions. 

In order to participate in an American Red Cross Lifeguarding Instructor course, you must meet the following requirements: 

• Participants must be at least 17 years of age on the last day of the instructor course.
• Must possess a current basic-level certification in American Red Cross Lifeguarding/First Aid/CPR/AED.
• Obtain all required instructor and participant course materials before starting the course
• Successfully complete the online session of the Lifeguarding Instructor course prior to the precourse session
• Successfully complete the prerequiste skill assessment scenario to continue in the course.

In order to participate in an American Red Cross Lifeguarding Instructor/Instructor Trainer Recertification course, candidates must meet the following requirements:

• Provide proof of R.24 Lifeguarding Instructor / Instructor Trainer Update
• Possess a current American Red Cross Lifeguarding Instructor or Lifeguarding Instructor Trainer certification.

Participants in all instructor level training courses must provide the following:

• Their own printed version of the (r.2024) American Red Cross Lifeguarding Instructor's manual
  • An electronic version of the manual will be available to students after registration
  • Participants can either print the electronic version they are provided with or purchase a printed copy of the manual as an add-on item during registration
• Their own adult and pediatric pocket masks
  • These are also available as an add-on item in the registration portal

Lifeguarding Instructor Training: $400

Lifeguarding Instructor/Instructor Trainer Review: $150

Lifeguard Instructor Crossover / Re-Entry Bridge Course: $200

There is a $50 non-refundable fee to register for all classes. Reimbursements, minus the $50 non-refundable fee upon registration, are only granted for documented medical conditions and withdrawal requests made at least two weeks prior to the class start date. 

Pre-registration is required for all classes; same day registration is not available. Online registration is available and can be accessed here.

 Copies of your current instructor certifications and/or basic-level certifications must be emailed to aquatics@fas.harvard.edu before your class instructions and assignments can be sent to you.