Lifeguard fitness requirements

What are the requirements you need to meet to become an RNLI lifeguard?

In order to qualify to become an RNLI lifeguard, you will need to meet the below requirements. Don't worry if you don't quite match them yet. Further down the page, you will find help and advice on how you can work to meet the requirements to join the team.

Age and background

• You need to be over 16 and of school-leaving age (with the permission of parent/guardian, if under 18). There is no upper limit, with many starting their lifeguard career later in life. Some are lifeguarding 60 years after their first season.
• You must be willing to provide a DBS check or national/international equivalent.

Lifeguarding qualifications

• You must hold a National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification (NVBLQ) or equivalent or ILS Beach/Surf Lifeguard qualification or equivalent. You can find out if your beach/surf lifeguard qualification is recognised on the ILS websites. Find out more about lifeguarding qualifications.

Fitness requirements

• Take a health assessment (including an eyesight test) to ensure you are physically up to the job. This applies even if you've worked as an RNLI lifeguard before.
• Complete a 400m pool swim in under 7½ minutes, the first 200m of which must be completed in under 3½ minutes.
• Complete a 25m pool swim underwater and a 25m surface swim consecutively in under 50 seconds.
• Complete a 200m beach run in under 40 seconds.

Personal attributes

• Be focused, vigilant, proactive and professional, with excellent people and rescue skills.
• Be approachable, someone who enjoys meeting people and helping them stay safe.
• Be a team player, get on well with other people, communicate easily and follow direction when required to.

What health requirements do I need to pass to be an RNLI beach lifeguard?

To keep you and others safe, we ask all our lifesavers to complete a health assessment and tell us about any medical conditions that may affect their ability to perform the role. This information allows us to support individuals appropriately and, where possible, consider reasonable adjustments.

During the recruitment process, you will be asked in confidence if you:

• have any conditions that might affect your vision, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration or cataracts
• are able to meet the RNLI’s requirements for visual acuity
• have had laser eye surgery in the last 3 months
• have experienced seizures or sudden disturbances of your state of consciousness
• have had or are currently having investigations into a heart condition, including irregular heartbeat
• have significantly raised blood pressure that's not well controlled with medication
• need insulin treatment for diabetes
• have had a stroke, or unexplained loss of consciousness
• have any neurological condition such as Parkinson’s or Multiple Sclerosis
• have received treatment for anxiety, depression or PTSD in the last 2 years (including medication and/or psychological therapy)
• have experienced alcohol or drug dependence within the last 3 years, or are being treated with medical cannabis (either privately or NHS prescribed)
• have any condition that affects your ears or hearing
• have a condition that could affect your fitness to be in the water
• have a bone or joint condition that may affect your mobility or cause pain, such as ACL repair, sciatica, or shoulder impingement/rotator cuff injury/repair
• have a condition that may affect bone strength or if you take oral steroids
• have any other conditions that may pose a risk to self through recurrence, effects of treatment, low resistance to infections, complications, disability, reduced exercise tolerance or severe breathlessness (such as cancers, endocrine, metabolic, blood or respiratory disorders and migraines), or conditions that may pose a risk to others (such as infections and blood-borne diseases). These conditions, and others, may require a case-by-case assessment with specialist advice.

Eyesight test

A lifeguard’s eyesight must allow them to safely and effectively perform the core duties of the role. The RNLI’s visual standard is based on three key principles:

1. Ability to identify a person who may need assistance.

Lifeguards must be able to visually scan the water and shoreline and clearly identify people who may be in difficulty. This includes recognising body position, movement, distress signals, or changes in behaviour at distance, in varying environmental conditions such as glare, surf, weather, and crowd density. Visual aids (such as glasses or contact lenses) may be used for this purpose where required.

2. Ability to reach the individual unaided.

Once a potential casualty has been identified, lifeguards must be able to safely and effectively reach them without reliance on visual aids. This includes maintaining visual awareness while swimming, wading, or moving through the surf to locate, approach, and secure the casualty. Where corrective eyewear is required, it must be suitable for use in the water if necessary.

3. Ability to maintain personal safety and communicate during a rescue.

Lifeguards must be able to maintain their own safety throughout a rescue by being able to communicate with colleagues on the shoreline or recognise visual signals from the shore. This includes seeing hand signals, flags, or other agreed visual cues, and maintaining situational awareness of hazards, other water users, and rescue support. 

Functional testing is used to determine the ability of lifeguards who wear glasses or contact lenses to carry out their duties.

We do offer other opportunities on the beach with fewer medical screening standards, if you feel the role of an RNLI lifeguard may not be the right one for you. Please consider roles such as Lifeguard Support, Operations Assistant (Lifeguards) or those within our Face-to-Face Fundraising Team.

If you’d like to talk to someone in more depth about our health screening policy prior to application, please contact our People Department in confidence at [email protected].