The purpose of the Carolina Aquatics School is to provide a variety of aquatic certification opportunities to members of the aquatics community in surrounding areas. The courses we offer are taught to the American Red Cross standard by American Red Cross Instructors and Instructor Trainers.
All UNC Aquatics programs are open to UNC faculty, staff, their families, and the community. If you are a member of the university community, you can use your ONYEN to login and register. If you do not have an ONYEN, please
- Log into stayactive.unc.edu
- Click on “Sign In” in the top right corner
- Click on “Sign Up” at the bottom of the pop up box
- Add the First Name and Last Name of the person participating in the class and click NEXT
- A Date of Birth for the participant is required to register for Aquatics programs.
- After adding a birthdate, follow prompts to complete setting up your account.
If you run into any issues, feel free to reach out to uncaquatics@unc.edu for assistance.
Blended Learning Lifeguarding r.24
The American Red Cross Blended Learning Lifeguarding course utilizes online modules, classroom lectures, and in-water practice to teach candidates the skills needed to help prevent and respond to aquatic emergencies. Certification includes Lifeguarding skills, First Aid, and CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer, valid for 2 years upon successful completion.
Criteria for certification:
- Attend and actively participate in all course sessions.
- Complete all eLearning units prior the in-person sessions.
- Demonstrate competency in all required skills and activities.
- Demonstrate competency in a required final rescue skill scenarios.
- Pass the Lifeguarding final written exam with an 80 percent or better.
Course Prerequisites:
- At least 15 years of age by the end of the training.
- Swim 150 yards using the front crawl, breaststroke or a combination of both, maintain position at the surface of the water for 2 minutes by treading water using only the legs, swim 50 additional yards using the front crawl or breaststroke or a combination of both. Swimming on the back or side is not permitted. Swim goggles are allowed.
- Complete a timed event, without goggles, within 1 minute, 40 seconds:
- Starting in the water, swim 20 yards with face in or out of the water.
- Surface dive, feet-first or head-first, to a depth of 10 feet to retrieve a 10 lb. brick and return to the surface.
- Swim on the surface 20 yards on the back to the starting point with both hands holding the brick and keeping the face at or near the surface to breathe.
- Exit the water without using a ladder or steps.
Cost:
$250
Sessions:
- May 2025
Schedule:
- TBD
*time for lunch on Saturday will be built into the class schedule
Course Length:
- eLearning Time: 7 hours
- In-Person Time: 21 hours, 30 minutes
Lifeguarding Recertification r.24
The purpose of a recertification course is to give individuals the opportunity to review the course content within a formal course setting. The r.24 recertification blended learning course format optimizes a participant’s ability to successfully complete the knowledge and skills evaluations through online modules completed prior to the inperson training. To participate in a recertification course, individuals must have a current American Red Cross Lifeguarding/First Aid/CPR/AED certificate or an American Red Cross Lifeguarding/First Aid/CPR/AED certificate expired by no more than 30 days.
Criteria for certification:
- Complete all online modules prior to the in-person training.
- Attend and participate in all class sessions.
- Demonstrate competency in all required skills and activities.
- Demonstrate competency in all required final rescue skill scenarios.
- Pass the Lifeguarding final written exam with an 80 percent or better.
Course Prerequisites:
- At least 15 years of age by the end of the training.
- Swim 150 yards using the front crawl, breaststroke or a combination of both, maintain position at the surface of the water for 2 minutes by treading water using only the legs, swim 50 additional yards using the front crawl or breaststroke or a combination of both. Swimming on the back or side is not permitted. Swim goggles are allowed.
- Complete a timed event, without goggles, within 1 minute, 40 seconds:
- Starting in the water, swim 20 yards with face in or out of the water.
- Surface dive, feet-first or head-first, to a depth of 10 feet to retrieve a 10 lb. brick and return to the surface.
- Swim on the surface 20 yards on the back to the starting point with both hands holding the brick and keeping the face at or near the surface to breathe.
- Exit the water without using a ladder or steps.
Price:
$150
Sessions:
- May 2025
Class Schedule:
- Saturday, 9:00am-8:00pm
Course Length:
- Classroom and pool time- 9 hours, 15 minutes
Lifeguarding Instructor r.24
The purpose of the American Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor course is to train instructor candidates to teach the American Red Cross Lifeguarding, Lifeguarding Blended Learning, Shallow Water Lifeguarding, Water Park Skills, and CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuers and Health Care Providers.
Course Prerequisites:
- Be at least 17 years of age.
- Possess a current basic-level American Red Cross Lifeguarding/First Aid/CPR/AED certification.
- Successfully complete the online session for the Lifeguarding Instructor course, which consists of the following:
-Orientation to the American Red Cross
-Orientation to the Lifeguarding Instructor Course and Precourse Exam - Successfully complete the Precourse Session
- Obtain the Lifeguarding Instructor’s Manual and Lifeguarding Manual after you have successfully completed the Precourse Session.
Criteria for certification:
-
Successfully complete the online Introduction to the American Red Cross Lifeguarding Instructor course
-
Successfully complete the Precourse Skills Session
-
Attend and actively participate in all course sessions
-
Successfully complete class activities, including the four practice-teaching assignments
-
Demonstrate instructor-level skill competency in all skills and scenarios
-
Score a minimum of 80 percent on the instructor course final written exam
Price:
$300
Sessions:
- May 2025
Course Length:
16 hours
Lifeguarding Instructor/Instructor Trainer Review Course r.24
The LGI/IT review course is an abbreviated recertification course for currently certified instructors and instructor trainers. The purpose of the course is to allow participants to review the course content and practice skills in a formal class setting and complete the final written exam.
Course Prerequisites:
- Possess a current (r.2017) American Red Cross Lifeguarding Instructor certification and/or
- Possess a current (r.2017) American Red Cross Lifeguarding Instructor Trainer certification
Criteria for certification:
- Demonstrate and be evaluated for proficiency in all skills and scenarios throughout the course.
- Participate in all course activities
- Successfully complete the instructor course written exam with a score of at least 80%.
Price:
$100
Sessions:
- May 2025
Class Schedule
- 9:00AM- 5:30PM
*an hour will be scheduled into the day for a lunch break
Course Length:
7 hours, 30 minutes
Blended Learning Water Safety Instructor
The purpose of the American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor course is to train instructor candidates to teach courses and presentations in the American Red Cross Swimming and Water Safety Program by developing their understanding of how to use the course materials, how to conduct training sessions and how to evaluate participants’ progress.
The blended learning option for the Water Safety Instructor course features a combination of simulation learning online together with in-person skills sessions. The online learning sessions provide custom activities, games and instructional videos set in a vibrant three-dimensional pool environment. Instructor candidates interact with multiple scenarios that require them to use lesson planning and teaching strategies and apply water safety and classroom management concepts. The in-person training reinforces these concepts in the pool and puts them into practice. Assessment and corrective feedback are integrated throughout the course.
Course Objectives:
Upon successful completion of the Water Safety Instructor course, instructor candidates should be able to:
- Identify key elements and strategies for planning and preparing effective and safe swim lessons
- Identify key class management principles, elements and strategies for planning, preparing, and conducting safe swim lessons
- Describe the importance of effective observation for teaching and how to develop it
- Observe swimming, headfirst entry and diving skills, and accurately classify them and suggest appropriate interventions to improve them
- Develop the ability to effectively communicate about participants’ progress in swim lessons
- Modify teaching to meet unexpected challenges, including dealing with participants who misbehave
- Demonstrate the ability to accommodate participants who move, learn, communicate, and behave differently
Prerequisites:
Be at least 16 years of age on or before the final scheduled lesson of this course
Demonstrate the ability to perform the following swimming skills:
- Swim the following strokes consistent with Level 4 of American Red Cross Swimming skills:
- 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 for 1 minute in deep water (floating or sculling)
- Tread water for 1 minute
Criteria for certification:
To be certified as a Water Safety instructor, instructor candidates must:
- Successfully complete the precourse session
- Successfully complete the online Orientation to the Swimming and Water Safety Program, which includes an orientation to the American Red Cross
- Attend and successfully participate in all course lessons, including the online content (approximately 7 hrs online and 24 hr in-person)
- Successfully complete the required number of practice-teaching assignments
- Score at least 80 percent (correctly answer 40 of 50 questions) on the final instructor course written exam
Cost:
$300
Sessions:
- May 2025
*breaks for lunch will be built into the schedule
Course Length:
- eLearning Time: 7 hours
- In-Person Time: 23 hours, 30 minutes