Lifeguard lessons: What it takes to be a life-saving swimmer on Long Island
ATLANTIC BEACH, Long Island (WABC) -- Summer is in full swing, which means more people will be hitting up New York's finest beaches and pools to soak up the sun. That's where the lifeguards come in...
Lifeguard Training NY has been gearing up and making sure the newest batch of lifeguards are properly trained and ready to go!
To take the lifeguarding class at Lifeguard Training NY, students must be the minimum age of 15 and in order to pass, you must be more than just a good swimmer. You must be able to swim 300 yards of free and or breaststroke, surface dive to a depth of 7 to 10 feet, return to the pool surface with a 10-pound object, swim 20 yards back to the starting point and be able to tread water without the use of arms for two minutes.
"It's not just skills you can learn at the pool," owner Motti Eliyahu said. "It's skills you can learn in real life."
After passing the lifeguarding class, students will receive a lifeguarding certificate that is valid for two years. The classes Lifeguard Training NY currently offer are lifeguarding, waterfront lifeguarding, water safety instructor, swimming, CPR/AED and First Aid lessons.
In order to become a beach lifeguard, the process is a bit more vigorous because working on a beach is very different than monitoring a pool.
"It is a stepping stone to work at a pool first and start at the pool," said the owner of Epi-Center Rescue Cary Epstein. "Lifeguard Training NY does a great job training pool lifeguards, and if they have the admiration, the ability to want to come out to the beach, play in the ocean and get certified as an ocean lifeguard, the next step would be to take their ocean test and advance their training."
Lifeguard Training NY wants you to remember that if you're out at the beach or pool this summer, it is important to locate your lifeguard and be aware of your surroundings as anything can happen at any given moment.
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