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South Florida's only dedicated ocean safety school. Our certified lifeguard instructors teach children, teens, and adults how to navigate rip currents, read waves, and move confidently through the open ocean, with a strict 2:1 student-to-instructor ratio on every session. You must already know how to swim.
Important: Students must already know how to swim at a high level before enrolling
The Shore Academy is an ocean navigation and safety program, not a learn-to-swim school. Pool swimming proficiency is a mandatory prerequisite. Read full requirements
Every year, hundreds of drownings happen in open water because people don't understand the ocean. Rip currents alone claim over 100 lives annually in the U.S. We're changing that, one student at a time, on the Atlantic Ocean beaches of South Florida.
No pools. No simulations. Students train in actual ocean conditions alongside lifeguards who have performed hundreds of real rescues on South Florida beaches.
Rip currents, wave patterns, beach flag systems, rescue techniques, and distress signals. Skills that can save your child's life and the lives of others in the Atlantic Ocean.
We maintain a strict 2:1 student-to-instructor ratio on every session. Every team member is a certified ocean lifeguard with CPR/AED and American Red Cross certifications.
Professional photography and video of every session. Watch your child grow in confidence. A keepsake of an incredible and unique ocean safety experience.
Every session builds real-world ocean competency. These aren't classroom lessons. Students are coached by certified lifeguard experts in the Atlantic Ocean.
How to spot, avoid, and escape rip currents, the #1 cause of ocean drownings in the U.S. Students learn to read the water, stay calm under pressure, and swim parallel to shore to safety.
Critical SafetyWhat every beach flag color means: green, yellow, red, purple, and double red. Understanding ocean conditions before you step into the water. Mandatory knowledge for every Florida beachgoer.
AwarenessHow to read, time, and ride waves safely. Proper ocean entry and exit techniques. Body positioning for different wave types and how to avoid getting caught inside a break.
Core SkillUnderstanding tides, currents, sandbars, and how the ocean floor affects surface conditions. Turning students into ocean-literate swimmers who can assess conditions before entering.
KnowledgeHow to signal a lifeguard when in trouble. How to call for help effectively in the water. What to do if you see another swimmer in distress. Critical skills every ocean swimmer needs.
EmergencyHow to safely assist someone in the water without putting yourself at risk. Reach, throw, row, go. Turning students into water safety assets who can help in an emergency.
AdvancedEvery member of our team has spent years protecting lives in the ocean. This isn't a side job. It's who we are. Certified ocean lifeguards serving the South Florida coast.
Fire Island, NY ocean lifeguard veteran with hundreds of real-water saves. Founded The Shore Academy to bring professional ocean safety education to every family in South Florida. His passion for water safety was cemented after personally saving two lives on the same weekend, and realizing there was no school teaching people how to survive the ocean.
Collegiate swimmer and certified ocean lifeguard with years of experience on South Florida beaches. Dean's patient, detail-oriented coaching style makes him especially effective with younger students. He is our rip current and wave navigation specialist, breaking down complex ocean behavior into skills that stick.
A certified ocean lifeguard and professional-grade photographer and videographer. Chris is in the water with every session providing active safety coverage, while simultaneously capturing the kind of professional media that families treasure forever. Every great shot you see from The Shore Academy has Chris behind it.
Real South Florida families share their experience at The Shore Academy.
“My 9-year-old was terrified of waves. After just two sessions with The Shore Academy, she was reading the water and navigating the surf on her own. The 2:1 instructor ratio makes all the difference. Absolutely world-class.”
“We live in Boca Raton and go to the beach every weekend. I never knew how little my kids understood about rip currents until this course. Now they know exactly what to do. This program should be mandatory for every Florida kid.”
“The professional photos and video alone are worth it. But what really blew us away was how much our son grew in just one session. Dominick and the team are incredible instructors. We're already booked for the 6-session mastery course.”
Professional photography and video of every ocean safety session. Your child's ocean journey, captured beautifully on the beaches of South Florida.
Every session is professionally photographed and filmed by our media director, a certified ocean lifeguard who provides additional in-water safety coverage while capturing your child's experience. You'll receive high-quality photos and video as a complimentary value-add. Opt-out is available if you prefer your child not be photographed.
The Shore Academy is an advanced ocean safety program for anyone who already knows how to swim. To ensure everyone's safety, the following are mandatory before signing up:
We take safety extremely seriously. If during our consultation or initial assessment we determine a student is not yet ready for ocean instruction, we will recommend pool swim programs and offer a full deposit refund. No exceptions.
This isn't a swim lesson. It's real ocean mastery for anyone who already swims: children, teens, and adults who want to genuinely understand South Florida's Atlantic waters.
Try it out. Perfect first step
Complete ocean safety foundation
Full ocean confidence & rescue skills
Full payment required upfront to reserve your spot. A $50 cancellation fee applies if you cancel within 24 hours of your scheduled session. No refunds for no-shows. Full refund if we determine your child is not ready during the pre-session consultation.
Fill in the form and our team will call to confirm readiness. Full payment secures your spot. Sessions run Saturdays in Deerfield Beach and Sundays in Miami Beach.
Session preference, your details, student info, and liability waiver. All in one place.
A member of our team calls to discuss each student's swim level, confirm the location, and make sure they are a good fit.
Full payment is required upfront to secure your spot. Sessions run Saturdays at Deerfield Beach and Sundays at Miami Beach.
Arrive 15 minutes early with swimwear, reef-safe sunscreen, and water. We handle everything else.
“Know the Ocean. Respect the Ocean. Protect Each Other.”
A quarterly, 4-week intensive junior lifeguard program in South Florida that transforms elite swimmers into future certified lifeguards. Physical training, expert-level rescue skills, USLA competition prep, and a streamlined path to ocean lifeguard employment. The most advanced youth ocean program in Florida.
Build the endurance, speed, and ocean strength required to perform at the lifeguard level. Open water distance swims, timed sprints, board paddling, and beach runs in South Florida conditions.
Learn real rescue techniques from instructors with hundreds of open water rescues. Victim recognition, approach strokes, rescue tube deployment, and spinal management in the Atlantic Ocean.
Train for USLA-sanctioned events. Surf swims, paddleboard races, rescue relays, beach flags, and ironman/ironwoman events. Compete at regional and national level from South Florida.
Junior lifeguard program graduates are fully prepped for ocean lifeguard certification tests nationwide. Our alumni pass rates are among the highest in the country. Your career starts here.
Our curriculum is built around the exact skills and physical standards tested by agencies across the U.S. When you walk into a lifeguard test, you will already know the drill.
Free guides from our certified ocean lifeguard instructors. The knowledge that saves lives on South Florida beaches every summer.
The Shore Academy operates on a consistent weekly schedule so you always know where to go. Sessions run year-round on the Atlantic Ocean beaches of South Florida.
Parking details, meeting points, and ocean safety tips specific to each of our two weekly session locations.
Our fixed Saturday location. Pier-adjacent rip current training on Broward County's Atlantic coastline. Parking and meeting point details inside.
Our fixed Sunday location. World-class ocean safety education on Miami-Dade's iconic Atlantic shoreline. Parking and meeting point details inside.
Satellite walkthrough of our weekly session locations. Click the markers to see parking and meeting point details. Exact pins are confirmed with you the evening before your session.
Sessions meet at the Deerfield Beach Pier. Full details confirmed the evening before your session.
