Lifeguard Certification IN Palm Coast, FL

Earn the Credential Every Public Pool Requires

Florida rule 64E-9.008 requires every lifeguard or instructor working a public pool to hold a nationally recognized certification with current first aid and CPR. Ship Shape Water Fitness Specialists teaches courses that satisfy it, and this page covers our lifeguard certification classes, recertification reviews, CPR, AED, and First Aid training, and prerequisite swim preparation in St. Augustine, FL, Palm Coast, and the communities in between. We certify guards; we never supply them, so every hour goes into teaching.


Our instructors have taught water safety for 42 years, and we bring the classroom to your water. Certification courses run at community venues such as Silverleaf Community, while CPR, AED, and First Aid sessions are arranged wherever a group needs them. As a National Provider of Continuing Education and a Best of Florida award winner 4 years in a row, we keep each lesson fresh and thorough. Visit our contact page to reserve a seat in the next course.

Free Estimate!

For the fastest reply, call or text us 24/7 at 386-986-5655

Free Estimate!

For the fastest reply, call or text us at

Contact Us

Professional Lifeguard Services We Provide

  • Lifeguard Certification Courses

    Passing the prerequisite swim moves you into a blended course of classroom study and in-water rescue practice. You learn victim recognition, entries, active and passive rescues, spinal care, and CPR/AED for professional rescuers, then sit a 50-question exam with an 80% pass mark.

  • Lifeguard Recertification

    Working guards whose certificate is valid, or expired by no more than 30 days, renew through a shorter review course instead of repeating the entire program. We retest the prerequisite swim, run rescue scenarios, refresh CPR skills, and issue a new 2-year credential.

  • CPR and AED Classes

    Anyone can learn to restart a heart, and these classes teach adult, child, and infant CPR, AED operation, and choking relief in a single session. Groups practice compressions on manikins until rhythm and depth are right, and each attendee leaves certified.

  • First Aid Classes

    Pool decks produce cuts, sprains, heat illness, and allergic reactions, so this class covers bleeding control, splinting, burns, and recognizing a medical emergency before it escalates. Sessions are arranged at the venue you choose and pair with CPR to satisfy public pool rules.

  • Prerequisite Swim Test Preparation

    Many strong swimmers still stumble on the timed brick event, so we coach the 300-yard continuous swim, the 2-minute legs-only tread, and the 20-yard swim, 7-to-10-foot surface dive, and 20-yard return carrying a 10-pound brick until each element comes easily.

  • Community and HOA Pool Course Hosting

    Neighborhoods and HOA-run pools can host a complete certification course on site, saving residents the drive and filling the deck with locally trained guards. We bring equipment and instructors, set dates with you, and the pool needs enough depth for the brick dive.

Why Choose Us for Lifeguard Certification

Instruction That Comes to Your Pool

You never chase a course across the corridor, because we schedule classes at the community or private pool that suits your group. That cuts travel, keeps candidates in familiar water, and lets a neighborhood certify several guards over a single weekend.

Rescues You Perform, Not Watch

Rescue skills only stick when you perform them, so every candidate handles the tube, makes the brick dive, and runs the backboard sequence again and again. Watching from the deck is not how anyone becomes a guard, and we build classes accordingly.

Decades of Deck Experience

Teaching on pool decks for 42 years has shown us which habits save lives and which look impressive but fail under stress. That history surfaces as calm demonstrations, honest feedback, and a course that skips nothing the exam or an emergency will demand.

Continuing Education Standards

Because we serve as a National Provider of Continuing Education for water fitness instructors, our teaching methods are reviewed and refreshed rather than recycled from an old manual. The same standard applies to lifeguard candidates: clear explanations, deliberate practice, and no shortcuts.

Coached Before the Clock Starts

Stumbling on the swim test the first morning ends the course before it begins, so we offer preparation sessions that turn the brick retrieval and the tread into routine. Candidates arrive on day one already knowing the prerequisite holds no surprises.

A Credential Employers Ask For

Public pools, waterparks, and camps require a nationally recognized certification with current CPR and first aid, and that is precisely what you leave with. Course variants exist for deep water, shallow water, and aquatic attractions, so ask which matches the job you want.

Certified Guards Are Made in the Water, Not Online

A guard who has practiced a real rescue reacts differently from one who has only read about it, and that difference is what a good course builds. Ship Shape Water Fitness Specialists trains and certifies lifeguards in St. Augustine, FL and along the corridor from Jacksonville, FL to Daytona Beach, FL, hosting certification courses at community pools and arranging CPR, AED, and First Aid classes wherever a group gathers. Whether you are a teenager chasing a first summer job, a parent who wants a safer neighborhood pool, or a manager with a roster to fill, there is no rush and no pressure; ask us anything, and when the timing suits you, reserve your place through our contact page.

Testimonials


See What Our Customers Are Saying!

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How long is lifeguard certification good for?

    Certification lasts 2 years from the date of issue and covers lifeguarding, CPR/AED for professional rescuers, and first aid in one credential. Mark the expiration on your calendar, because renewing before it lapses is far simpler than starting the full course over again.

  • What is the age requirement for lifeguard certification?

    Candidates must be at least 15 by the last day of the course, which means a 14-year-old can enroll if the birthday falls before the final session. There is no upper limit; adults of any age who pass the prerequisite swim are welcome.

  • How hard is the lifeguard swim test?

    Moderately demanding rather than brutal: a 300-yard swim using front crawl or breaststroke, a 2-minute tread using legs only, and a timed brick retrieval finished within 1 minute 40 seconds. Regular lap swimmers usually pass; the tread and the brick catch people unprepared.

  • What happens if I fail the brick test?

    Failing the brick event means you cannot continue into the course that day, since the prerequisite must be passed before rescue training begins. Book a preparation session, drill the surface dive and the back-carry, and retest at the next scheduled course.

  • Are goggles allowed during the prerequisite swim?

    Goggles are permitted for the 300-yard swim but not for the brick event, because real rescues happen without them and the surface dive must be performed with unprotected eyes. Practice both ways beforehand so neither version feels unfamiliar on test day.

  • Can I recertify if my certification has expired?

    Only if the certificate expired no more than 30 days ago; beyond that window the full course is required. Ship Shape Water Fitness Specialists runs recertification reviews in St. Augustine, FL and nearby communities, so check your expiration date and reserve a seat.

  • Does lifeguard certification include CPR and First Aid?

    Yes. The credential bundles lifeguarding with CPR/AED for professional rescuers and first aid, all taught inside the same course and printed on one certificate. Guards who need only the CPR or first aid portion renewed can take those as standalone classes with us.

  • What can I do to get ready for lifeguard training?

    Swim laps until 300 continuous yards feels routine, practice treading water without your hands, and rehearse surface dives to the deep end. Ship Shape Water Fitness Specialists offers prerequisite preparation sessions around St. Augustine, FL for candidates who want a coached run-through first.