Jan. 10, 2012

Students spend the morning with the water park's lifeguards to prepare for the American Red Cross lifeguard certification exam.

The training session marked the end of the semester for students enrolled in ASD's Aquatic Certification class. Now in its second year, the class is part of the high school physical education curriculum and enables students to train for and obtain their American Red Cross (ARC) Lifeguard Certification. Recognized around the world, the ARC lifeguard certification allows the students to go on and work as part-time lifeguards during summer breaks or while at university.

Wild Wadi lifeguards put the students through their paces, reinforcing all that the students had learned in class by simulating the ARC lifeguard exam and real lifeguard work. The training session began with physical exercises on the beach and a 500 meter run. Students then moved to the pool where they worked on rescue skills and handling different aquatic emergencies, including rescue approaches, feet-first surface dives, compact jumps, and spinal injury rescue.

To enroll in ASD's Aquatic Certification class, the students had to successfully complete a proficiency test to determine whether their swimming skills were strong enough for the 50-hour course. To obtain the ARC lifeguard certification, students will have to pass all the swimming and fitness requirements as well as master CPR, First AID, AED (automated external defibrillator) use, and water rescue techniques.