Interactive online course trains lifeguards to identify subtle, silent and easily overlooked signs of drowning
May 7, 2026
Ellis & Associates (E&A), the world leader in aquatic safety since 1983, announces the release of its newest online training course, Scanning and Drowning Detection: Improving Recognition. Now publicly available at
jellis.com, this highly interactive eLearning experience provides an unprecedented look at the real behaviors exhibited by a swimmer in distress.
Developed using real-time video footage of actual drowning incidents captured through advanced aquatic safety technology, the course challenges long-held assumptions about what drowning looks like. Drawing on hundreds of data points and behavior patterns collected through real-time camera monitoring and behavior-recognition software, the program reveals that many signs of drowning are quiet, fast and easy to miss.
The course offers learners the ability to observe true drowning behaviors across all ages and a wide range of aquatic environments. Participants discover:
- how drowning can involve confusing movements that resemble play,
- how signs are often silent, rapid, and easy to miss, and
- how real behaviors don’t always match with traditional expectations of what drowning looks like.
Through immersive, scenario-based training, learners conduct simulated lifeguard scans, identify guests in distress, and compare their observations with real outcomes. By breaking down the exact behaviors that triggered each response, the course teaches the purposeful, focused, and deliberate scanning techniques that dramatically improve recognition and response times.
Supported by findings aggregated from more than 25,000 rescues and hundreds of data points collected from live video footage, this program represents a transformative step forward in drowning-prevention education. Rather than relying solely on human-generated reports and eyewitness accounts, which can be inconsistent, incomplete, or influenced by stress, E&A uses real footage and advanced data analysis to reveal what drowning truly looks like.
“Improving lifeguard performance requires a deeper, more accurate understanding of what drowning truly looks like; this course provides that breakthrough,” said Ellis Learning Vice President, Joe Stefanyak. “Our commitment to continuous research and real-world analysis enables us to reshape drowning-recognition training and enhance scanning effectiveness throughout the aquatics industry.”
The data and video that power the course were accumulated through the Ellis Aquatic Vigilance System (EAVS), E&A’s proprietary AI assisted vigilance and monitoring platform. EAVS™ provides “supplemental eyes” across aquatic facilities through high-definition above and below water cameras integrated with intelligent video analytics and human interface. Scalable, customizable, and suitable for venues of any size, EAVS represents the most comprehensive drowning-prevention and safety-vigilance system available.
“If you want lifeguards to react faster, miss less, and understand drowning from an entirely new perspective, this is the course,” added Ellis & Associates SVP and Chief Executive Officer, Richard A. RAC Carroll.
Scanning and Drowning Detection: Improving Recognition and a number of other educational courses are available right now on the E&A website. Facility operators wishing to use this training for 10 or more staff may contact learning@ellisintl.com to inquire about bulk pricing. Ellis & Associates is a fully accredited provider of International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) approved CEUs. This course carries the option to earn a .1 hour IACET CEU.