Greater Carolinas Red Cross Aquatic Programs

Saving lives with Red Cross Training

Whether your goal is to become a lifeguard for a local pool or to promote a water safe environment in your own backyard, Red Cross courses will give you the knowledge, skills and confidence you need.

PROGRAMS

Learn to swim

Six levels of training to build your skills and confidence in swimming.

Lifeguard Training

Greater Carolinas Red Cross Lifeguarding offers the highest quality training standards in skill instruction, professional lifeguard responsibilities, first aid and CPR/AED training. Schedule and location list of lifeguard training.

Parent and Child Aquatics

Teach your child the basics of being in the water.

Longfellow’s Whales Tales

Water safety for the classroom

Water Safety Instructor Training

Whether you want to splash around with kids and teach them to swim, help children and adults refine their strokes, or teach diving safety techniques, you can do it as a Red Cross Water Safety Instructor.

PROGRAM LOCATIONS

In this region, the Red Cross works with Authorized Providers of our aquatics programs to ensure that training options are available throughout the year. Authorized providers are trained and certified instructors of Red Cross courses.

Please view a current list of aquatic training available through Red Cross authorized providers in the area, please scroll below. Please note, each authorized provider chooses which aquatics programs to offer and sets their own schedule.

For assistance or questions, please call us at 704.347.8214 or weatherv@usa.redcross.org.

Learn-to-Swim

Start from the basics and work up to advanced swimming techniques.

The six learn-to-swim levels and the objectives for each level include:

Introduction to Water Skills - Level 1 

Help students feel comfortable in the water and enjoy the water safely.

Fundamental Aquatic Skills - Level 2

Give students the tools for success with fundamental skills.

Stroke Development - Level 3

Build on the skills in Level 2 by providing additional guided practice.

Stroke Improvement - Level 4

Develop confidence in the strokes learned and improve other aquatic skills.

Stroke Refinement - Level 5 

Provide further coordination and refinement of strokes.

Swimming and Skill Proficiency - Level 6

Refine the strokes so students swim with ease, efficiency, power and smoothness over greater distances. Each of these options focuses on preparing students to participate in more advanced courses, such as Water Safety Instructor and Lifeguard Training. These options include:

Personal Water Safety

Lifeguard Readiness

Fundamentals of Diving

Fitness Swimming

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Lifeguarding

Are you 15 years or older and looking for a great summer job or a challenging career? Becoming a Red Cross Lifeguard is the best place to start! Lifeguarding puts you in an exciting position, working as part of a team to help people safely enjoy the water.

This course trains students in surveillance skills to help recognize and prevent injuries, rescue skills in the water and on land, first aid training and CPR for the professional rescuer, as well as professional lifeguarding responsibilities.

Minimum Prerequisites

Minimum age 15.

Swim 300 yards continuously, using these strokes in the following order: 

100 yards of front crawl using rhythmic breathing and stabilization, propellant kick. Rhythmic breathing can be performed either by breathing to the side or front.

100 yards of breaststroke, using a pull, breathe, kick, glide sequence. 

100 yards of either front crawl using rhythmic breathing or breaststroke, or a combination.

Swim 20 yards using front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive to a depth of 7-10 feet, retrieve a 10-pound object, return to the surface, and swim 20 yards back to the starting point with object and exit the water without using a ladder or steps, within 1 minute and 40 seconds. 

Participants may be asked to complete further prerequisite tests depending on the facility conducting the course.

Sign up today

To enroll in a lifeguarding course, please contact the organization offering the course with the information provided in the schedule below. 

Lifeguard Training Schedule and locations 

 Summer courses are complete. Please call one of our authorized providers as a lifeguarding course may be offered.

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Parent and Child Aquatics

 Parents and children (6 months - 5 years) learn together to increase your child's comfort level in the water and build a foundation of basic skills, such as arm and leg movements and breath control.  See the list of Authorized Providers to find a class in your neighborhood.

Longfellow’s Whales Tales

 Teach Red Cross water safety in your classroom!

A complete program

Longfellow's WHALE Tales provides an easy-to-follow lesson plan for school teachers, parents, or other adult leaders teaching children ages 5 – 12 about safe behavior in, on, and around the water.

Activities and materials provided

Water safety can be fun and easy to learn! Each lesson is reinforced with color posters, worksheets, activities and a video that features Longfellow, the animated whale.

Longfellow's Whales Tales includes five easy lessons.

Swim with a buddy in a supervised area.

Be cool, follow the rule -- the reasons behind water safety rules.

Look before you leap -- choose safe places to swim and dive.

Think so you don't sink -- what to do when things go wrong, such as leg cramps, exhaustion, or getting caught in a fast-moving current.

Reach or throw, don't go -- safe ways to rescue a swimmer in trouble.

Start teaching water safety today!

If you are interested in scheduling a presentation at your school or if you are interested in attending a course, please contact Katrina Johnson at (704) 378-4635 or johnsonkatri@usa.redcross.org.

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Water Safety Instructor

If you are at least 16-years old and a proficient swimmer, you can become a Water Safety Instructor. Qualified water safety instructors can also prepare swim coaches to prevent and respond to emergency situations.

Prerequisites for Red Cross Water Safety Instructor classes:

Be at least 16 years of age by the last scheduled session of the instructor course

 

Possess a Fundamentals of Instructor Training (FIT) certificate issued within the past 12 months or have a current Health and Safety Services Instructor Authorization (F5736 or C3005)

 

Successfully complete the pre-course session to demonstrate the ability to perform the following swimming skills:

Swim the following strokes consistent with Level 4 stroke ability:

Front crawl—25 yards

Back crawl—25 yards

Breaststroke—25 yards

Elementary backstroke—25 yards

Sidestroke—25 yards

Butterfly—15 yards 

 

Maintain position on back 1 minute in deep water (floating or sculling).

 

Tread water for 1 minute.

 

Start saving lives today, find a class in your neighborhood today.

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Authorized Providers of Red Cross water safety, swimming and lifeguard courses

In this region, the Red Cross works with Authorized Providers of our aquatics programs to ensure that training options are available throughout the year. Authorized providers are trained and certified instructors of American Red Cross courses.

Please note, each authorized provider chooses which aquatics programs to offer and sets their own schedule. Please call to confirm the program you would like to take is offered at the facility. If you need assistance, please call 704.347.8221.

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