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Lifeguard Water Entry Techniques
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Lifeguard water entry techniques are chosen by depth and by whether you can afford to lose sight of the victim. Getting the entry wrong injures the rescuer, and an injured rescuer is a second casualty.
Which lifeguard water entry techniques fit each situation?
Compact jump. For deep water and for any entry where the depth is unknown or the height is significant. Knees bent, one hand holding the tube to the chest, the other securing the strap, feet together, body compact. It keeps you from going too deep and protects the head and neck.
Stride jump. For water at least 5 feet deep, entered from no more than about 3 feet above the surface, when you must not lose sight of the victim. The legs scissor and the arms press down on entry, which keeps the head above water throughout.
Slide-in entry. The quietest and safest option. Used in shallow water, for a suspected spinal injury, or in crowded water where a jump would land on someone. Slower, but it causes no wave and no impact.
Running entry. For beaches and shallow gradual entries only. High-stepping through the shallows, then dolphin diving under the waves rather than over them.
The rules that apply to all of them
Never enter head first. A headfirst entry into unknown depth is the same mechanism that produces the spinal injuries guards exist to prevent.
Keep the rescue tube under control. A tube that slips on entry has to be recovered before the approach starts, and that time comes out of the 20 second window.
Scan the entry point. Entering onto a swimmer is a real and common near-miss at busy facilities.
Match the entry to the depth you actually have
A stride jump into 3 feet of water is an ankle or a knee injury. The depth limits on these lifeguard water entry techniques are not stylistic; they are the point. Guards learn their own facility’s depths at every stand position so the decision is already made before it is needed.
Lifeguard water entry techniques: frequently asked questions
What are the main lifeguard water entry techniques?
The main lifeguard water entry techniques are the compact jump for deep or unknown depth, the stride jump for water at least 5 feet deep when you must keep the victim in sight, the slide-in for shallow water and suspected spinal injury, and the running entry for beaches.
When should you never use a stride jump?
In water shallower than about 5 feet, or from a height above roughly 3 feet. Both turn the entry into a lower limb injury.
Why is a slide-in entry used for spinal injuries?
Because it creates no wave and no impact. Any surface disturbance can move a casualty whose spine must not be moved.
Reviewed by Jackie Stern, Lifeguard Instructor, Firefighter and EMT. Jackie Stern has taught lifeguarding for more than 20 years and works as a firefighter, EMT and swim instructor. She reviews course content, prerequisites and rescue standards against current certification requirements.
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