[OkayPhysicist]

At least for Red Cross certification, the training is a mix of teaching and test. The basic swimming skills are basically a test, as it's incredibly unlikely that someone would develop those in the 2-3 days that the course runs.

[singleshot_]

When I was a young lad you had to pass basic, intermediate, and advanced swimming classes before signing up for the guard class. Each class took about two weeks of daily lessons at the local pond.

This qualified me to sit next to a pool in a condo complex where no one ever swam for eight hours a day. Best job I ever had.