If you're not yet 15 but interested in becoming a lifeguard, check out GuardStart.

• Must be at least 15 years of age by the end of the class.
• Swim 500 yards continuously, using these strokes in the following order: 
  200 yards of front crawl using rhythmic breathing and a stabilizing, propellant kick 
  100 yards of breaststroke, 
  200 yards of either front crawl using rhythmic breathing or breaststroke. These 200 yards may be a mixture of front crawl and breaststroke
• Swim 20 yards using front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive to a depth of 7 - 10 feet, retrieve a 10-pound object, return to surface, and swim 20 yards back to the starting point with the object. (When returning to the starting point, the candidate must hold the 10-pound object with both hands and must keep his or her face above the water.)
  

Lifeguard Training Instructor

• Fundamentals of Instructor Training or Instructor Candidate Training certificate issued within the past 12 months or current Red Cross instructor authorization.
• Must be at least 17 years of age by the end of the class.
• 60-question, multiple-choice exam. Students must correctly answer at least 80 percent of the questions in each of the four sections.
• CPR (all skills involving rescue breathing are tested using a
  resuscitation mask)
  Primary Survey 
  Rescue Breathing (Adult, Child, Infant) 
  Conscious Choking (Adult, Child) 
  Unconscious Choking (Adult, Child, Infant) 
  Adult CPR 
  Child CPR 
  Infant CPR 
  Two-Rescuer CPR - Adult 
  Using a Bag-Valve Mask Resuscitator - Two Rescuers
• First Aid
  Removing Gloves
  Controlling External Bleeding
  Applying a Sling and Binder
  Head, Neck and Back Immobilization on Land
• Swim 500 yards continuously, using these strokes in the following order:
  200 yards of front crawl using rhythmic breathing and a stabilizing,
  propellant kick
  100 yards of breaststroke
  200 yards of either front crawl using rhythmic breathing or
  breaststroke. These 200 yards may be a mixture of front crawl and
  breaststroke
• Swim 20 yards using front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive to a depth of 7 - 10 feet, retrieve a 10-pound object, return to surface, and swim 20 yards back to the starting point with the object. (When returning to the starting point, the candidate must hold the 10-pound object with both hands and must keep his or her face above the water.)
• Multiple-Victim Rescue
• Front Head Hold Escape
• Rear Head Hold Escape
• Active Drowning Victim Scenario
• Submerged Passive Victim Scenario
• Head, Neck or Back Injury Scenario