Swim testing is an important step to making sure all swimmers are safe in your aquatic facility. Below is a sample swim test policy:

Green swimmers may swim unattended in deep water if they are able to:

1. Swim 25 yards (or the length of your pool) with:
   1. Their face in the water
   2. Without goggles
   3. Using some sort of a stroke without stopping and hanging on the wall or putting their feet on the ground
2. Tread water for 1 minute
3. Jump into water over their head and resurface
4. Extricate themselves from the pool

Yellow swimmers must stay in the shallow water. Yellow swimmers are shallow water competent, meaning they are able to:

1. Swim half the length of the pool
2. Tread water for 30 seconds
3. Stand in the shallow end of the swimming area with the water level lower than their armpits
4. Go underwater, lift their feet off the bottom of the swimming area, and then regain their footing without assistance

Red swimmers must wear lifejackets at all times, or be within arms reach of a parent or guardian (unless they are actively engaged in a swim lesson or working on swim skills with a parent or guardian). Red swimmers are not allowed in the deep water. These swimmers would be considered your non-swimmers or emerging swimmers. A few other characteristics of these swimmers are:

• They are unable or unwilling to complete a green or yellow swim test
• They are not shallow water competent
• The shallow water level is higher than their armpits

For more information, visit our partner, Redwoods Group. 

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