A SPORTSG PROGRAMME

STAGE 1

Water adjustment. First float.

SwimSafer Stage 1 is the first of 6 stages in Singapore's national water safety programme. The starting stage of SwimSafer. Students become comfortable in shallow water, submerge briefly to blow bubbles, and hold a 5-second front or back float before recovering to standing.

Find a class All stages
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Bronze Stage 5 Silver Stage 6 Gold
Introduction to Water Skills

What students demonstrate

Stage 1 builds water confidence. To progress, students must complete each criterion below to the assessor's satisfaction.

KEY MILESTONES
  • 5sec

    Front or back float, recover to standing

  • 10m

    Movement on front, any combination

  • 5m

    Movement on back, any combination

Clothing for assessment. Assessed in swimwear, shorts and t-shirt. The added drag simulates realistic conditions if the student enters water unexpectedly while clothed.

On assessment day. A yellow swimming cap is issued to all Stage 1 participants when they arrive at the Centralised Assessment Centre.

Entries & Exits

  1. Slide-in entry.
  2. Exit using ladder and from pool edge.

Sculling & Body Orientation

  1. Front float (mushroom or jellyfish), 5 sec, recover to standing position.
  2. Back float, 5 sec, recover to a standing position.

Underwater Skills

  1. Submerge in waist-deep (student's) water, open eyes, blow bubbles and identify an object on the pool floor.

Movement / Swimming / Strokes

  1. Movement on front 10m (alternating arms & legs and/or simultaneous arms and legs).
  2. Movement on back 5m (alternating arms & legs and/or simultaneous arms and legs).

Survival & Activity Skills

What you wear & carry

Swimwear T-shirt Shorts PFD Goggles
  1. Signal distress and call for help.
  2. Grasp a flotation aid and float for 10 sec.
  3. Move to the pool's edge (with the float).
  4. Exit safely from water.
  5. Clothed in swimwear, shorts and t-shirt: correctly fit a PFD, jump into the water, float for 30 seconds, then climb out of deep water.

Knowledge

  1. Principles of Personal Safety and Survival.
  2. Environmental Awareness.
  3. Health Awareness.
  4. Emergency Situations and Survival Techniques.
  5. Rescues.

Watch the official demonstration

A SportSG SwimSafer 2.0 video showing every Stage 1 criterion performed correctly. Hosted on YouTube.

SwimSafer 2.0 - Stage 1 demonstration SportSG

NEXT STAGE 02

Stage 2

Continue to the next stage's test criteria and milestones.

Stage 2