Who is the course designed for?

The course is designed for experienced outdoor swimmers who want to build on their existing outdoor swimming knowledge and skills to lead others from within the water (a group of up to eight swimmers) safely and effectively in sheltered water.

Course content

The course is delivered through a mixture of online learning, zoom classroom activities and practical learning in an open water environment.

It covers the essential knowledge and leadership skills to enable individuals to confidently risk assess, plan, prepare and lead effective outdoor swimming sessions  from within the water for groups of up to eight swimmers in water with temperatures exceeding 11 degrees Celsius.

During this course, you will learn about:

• The different types of outdoor swimming environment
• The benefits of outdoor swimming
• Roles and responsibilities of an outdoor swimming leader
• The dangers associated with outdoor swimming and identifying hazards associated with outdoor swimming
• The types of equipment needed for outdoor swimming
• Key outdoor swimming skills
• Planning for an outdoor swimming session
• Leading an outdoor swimming session
• How to meet the needs of outdoor swimmers
• How to evaluate your own performance as an outdoor swimming leader

Prerequisites

You must:

• be 18 years of age or older on the first day of the course
• have experience of open water swimming
• be able to swim at least 800 metres in open water continuously on your front

Training Format

This course allows you to make the most of learning online and will cover the course theory through interactive e-learning and live zoom webinars. E-learning allows you to work through the content at your own pace while the zoom webinars will be with the rest of your course cohort and from the comfort of your own home. Once you get to the venue, you’ll have a lake-based practical, session delivery and assessment to complete.