City of San Diego-Junior Lifeguards Program

Love it! Best price, best education and great experience for ocean knowledge. My children have definately improved on their water safety, first aid skills and of course their swimming skills. (They can get out of a rip and never panic.) If you live in San Diego and swim in the ocean, you definately should experience JG’s. It can meet all childs needs from the super athletic boy to the more dainty girly. (I have both). Register early as spaces fill up in 20 minutes.

Give your kids a gift this summer! They learn how to be stronger swimmers in the ocean that surrounds us. If they want to have a future summer job when they are 16+, they can become a seasonal guard. My boys love it.

The City of San Diego Lifeguards Department sponsors a program every summer called Junior Lifeguards. Its goal is to provide the youth community with a «sound aquatic background and acquaint them with the hazards and opportunities of San Diego beaches.»
What this basically means is that if your kids and teenagers are interested in swimming and water-​sports, this is the perfect place for them to learn all about: body-​surfing, body-​boarding, surfing, snorkeling, kayaking, CPR, first aid & life-​saving techniques.
Junior Lifeguards runs two sessions every summer-​both an A.M. and a P.M. class. They are head-​quartered at the Santa Clara Recreation Center in Mission Beach-​Bayside. Girls and boys are welcomed, but newcomers must attend a tryout at a local pool and pass a swim test. A qualification swim test will also be given the first day of each session. The classes meet at a variety of beaches in the San Diego area. They have swim meets and time trials at Coronado Beach, jump off the Ocean Beach pier at Ocean Beach, and have a final party and BBQ at La Jolla Shores. The majority of classes are held at Mission Beach.
The instructors are all San Diego lifeguards who are specially selected to work with the kids. Scholarships are available based on financial need, but the cost of the uniform items such as good quality fins are out-​of-​pocket. Enrollment is limited and there is always a waiting list, so I would advise making plans for this summer activity around the time registration and online applications come out-​around the first of the year.
As a mother of a student who attended for many summer sessions, I can tell you Junior Lifeguards offer a wonderful and enriching program that is sure to instill values in your child such as courtesy, respect, knowledge, and developing a positive attitude. Also, they have a good head start on employment later on down the road as a lifeguard at either pools or ocean sites.
It goes without saying that as wonderful and beautiful as San Diego beaches might be, there are hazards and dangers that do exist, and to learn how to circumnavigate around those-​in a safe manner-​is only good. Instead of having your kids hanging around the computer all summer playing games, get them out to programs the City offers such as Junior Lifeguards. The valuable lessons they learn and the overall social skills they develop can only bring a motherly smile to your face!