Open water swimming is one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK. The Open Water Lifeguard (OWL) qualification has been designed to equip open water lifeguards with the skills required to supervise and provide rescue cover for planned, organised, and risk-assessed activities in still, non-tidal water.
The RLSS UK Open Water Lifeguard (OWL) qualification is unsuitable for moving water environments.
Prerequisites to do an OWL Course
Every candidate attending an Open Water Lifeguard course must:
Be 16 years old or over at the time of assessment.
Be competent and confident in jumping and diving into deep open water.
Before the course, candidates must be able to swim at least 400 metres in a pool/open water, swimming continuously on their front and showing urgency.
Be able to submerge under the water confidently.
No prior first aid knowledge is required.