Lifeguard Training in California

The Red Cross offers lifeguarding classes in California that will empower you to recognize and respond to a wide range of emergencies that may occur during aquatic activities, like swimming, boating, and diving. With the knowledge and experience needed to provide care until medical professionals arrive, our lifeguard training can help you save a life.

California lifeguarding classes are available in a wide range of locations and facilities. Designed to help you understand how to recognize and respond to medical emergencies that may occur in, on, or near the water, our lifeguard training program can help you provide care until medical professionals arrive – and may even help you save a life.

Designed for those who learn best in a traditional classroom environment, our in-person California lifeguard certification classes include lecture, reading, and hands-on skills sessions. Throughout the course there will be ample time for students to ask questions, work through topics as a group, and become comfortable with the theories and practices of lifeguarding.

Created for those who want or need the freedom to learn at their own pace, our blended learning experience allows you to take online classes and demonstrate your skills in person to a trained, certified instructor. Once you've successfully completed both portions of the course, you'll receive your California lifeguard certification, which is valid for two years.

At the American Red Cross, we make it easy to pursue your lifeguard certification. With in-person and blended learning classes, our California lifeguard training program gives you flexible options that are designed to suit your schedule – and the way you learn. Plus, with experienced, compassionate instructors and the latest information, you'll receive the training you need to achieve your goals.

After completing your lifeguard training in California your certification will be valid for two years. In order to maintain your credentials, certified lifeguards must complete the recertification process prior to, or within 30 days of, your certification's expiration date. Recertification courses are abbreviated, and successful completion will result in extending your certification for an additional two years.

To complement our California lifeguard classes, we offer all students access to our lifeguarding manual. Created specifically to help our students refer to and retain the information they've learned in class, our manual can help keep your skills and your memory fresh during class and between certifications. The Red Cross lifeguarding manual is one part of our program and does not by itself, deliver complete and comprehensive training.

For more than 100 years, the American Red Cross has empowered millions with the training they need to help during times of crisis. And by taking part in our lifeguarding classes in California, you can join their ranks. Our compassionate, knowledgeable instructors will teach you the skills necessary for keeping people safe in, on, and near the water – and through that training you can help them enjoy a wide range of activities and prevent life-altering injuries. The America Red Cross is the industry leader for training of this kind – making our program a natural choice for those interested in becoming certified lifeguards.