Welcome to the most authoritative review of the planet’s two most prestigious water aerobics certifications.

I’ll apply all my 10+ years of experience in the fitness industry to do a thorough analysis on:

  • ACE’s Aquatic Exercise course
  • AFAA’s Aqua Fitness course

In the end, you’ll know exactly which is best for you.

Let’s get splashing without any delay!

Water Aerobics Certification - Top 2 Certifications For Instructors in [year] 5

Introduction to water aerobics certifications

Do you love the water? Are you looking for a great way to have a lot of fun in the water, get exercise, and get well paid as a trainer simultaneously?

Are you looking to earn a Water Aerobics Certification? Are you thinking, “What is water aerobics?” or “How to become a water aerobics instructor?”

Well, then, you have come to the right place!

Also, make sure to check out my group exercise certifications article as well as the best general personal training organizations.

If you are not a certified trainer, take the quiz to determine which certification is the best for you.

Water Aerobics Certification - Top 2 Certifications For Instructors in [year] 6

What certification is right for you?

We developed this critical quiz to help you find the best certification for you and your goals.

The menu at the top of this page will answer any question related to your personal training.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave me a comment here (I’ll respond within 24 hours). Also, visit the home page for the most recent and popular articles.

Suppose working as a personal trainer in a gym that has a swimming pool; you might want to consider getting an aquatic fitness certification or water fitness certification to help people lose obesity – and more.

Different names, such as Aquatic Exercise Certification, Aerobics instructor certification, Aquatic aerobics certification, Aquatic fitness instructor certification, or Water Exercise Certification, know these aerobic water certifications for instructors.

I will tell you how to become a duly certified water aerobics instructor in this article.

If you are not a personal trainer, however, you can also benefit hugely from knowing the right aqua aerobic exercise for you, employing the services of a professional water aerobics trainer/instructor, and also for personal diet weight management.

Weight training, strength training, and participating in fitness exercises regularly are some of the best exercises that increase the calories you burn.

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Group exercise and water aerobic exercises are extremely challenging but, at the same time, refreshing.

It switches things up when compared to regular one-on-one training sessions – or even regular group exercise workouts.

Water aerobics Instructions must be prioritized when getting one of the water aerobics certifications that will be discussed in this article.

Having the right water aerobics training or certification is a great plus to any aqua aerobics instructor’s career and potential client base.

I will be talking about the two primary water aerobics certifications that are on the market today.

They are ACE’s Aquatic Exercise course and AFAA’s Aqua Fitness course.

As an aerobic instructor, you want to plan a good water aerobics exercise routine for your clients.

This can be achieved if you consider taking either of these two water aerobic instructor certifications.

Check out all of the benefits of aquatic exercise! Let’s dive right in!

The Aquatic Exercise Course from ACE

ACE’s certification will cost you $79 (as of my writing time).

The course materials they offer are an instructional DVD and the course’s primary textbook.

I believe that the DVD is an excellent tool if you are a visual learner.

The textbook will teach you about aquatic exercise and its history, as well as some basic exercise science of exercises that are performed in water.

Compared to some other ACE textbooks, I think the material is not as dense.

I found that it consists of many images, especially in the exercise section.

Water exercise is exceptionally different than out of water.

In any case, I learned cool things such as buoyancy, drag, and hydrostatic pressure and how they relate to exercise and water.

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Like other group exercise certifications, you’ll learn how to create great programs and lead a large water aerobics class.

Regarding the DVD, you will learn a lot of aqua exercises and how to regress or progress individuals in your class.

This will also help you as an exercise specialist to monitor not only the weight loss of your clients but also their behavior change.

By the end of this course, you should understand how to use standard equipment for water aerobics exercises.

Here’s the link to the general ACE certification.

The Aqua Fitness Course from AFAA

Compared to ACE, AFAA takes a slightly different approach to water aerobic fitness.

To get certified, you are required to attend a one-day workshop that is taught by an AFAA certified instructor.

During the workshop, you will learn how to conduct regular land exercises but underwater.

You learn about many of the same concepts, such as resistance in buoyancy.

Some of the cool things that they teach you are how to instruct your class both inside the pool as well as outside the pool.

They also do an excellent job of going over the routine design as well as how to progress your clients depending on skill level.

It is slightly more expensive than the ACE certification and will cost you $129 (as of my writing time).

If you are a member of AFAA, you can receive a 10% discount.

The $129 that you pay goes towards the one-day workshop, their primary textbook for the course, an exercise library, an outline of the manual, and membership with AFAA that will last a year.

Benefits of Water Aerobic Exercises

Water aerobics exercises have different names for different people; the following are some of the most common synonyms you may find:

  • Water aerobic exercise
  • Aqua aerobic exercise
  • Aqua Fitness
  • Aquaerobics exercises
  • Water aerobic workout
  • Aqua jogging workout
  • Water exercise

Water aerobic exercises, whether for instructor or clients, comes with numerous health benefits; these include:

  • Weight loss
  • Healthy living
  • Improved heart rate
  • Lower chances of obesity
  • Low-impact exercise

Other benefits of exercise include leading a healthy lifestyle and migraine relief.

Water aerobic classes and Eating a healthy diet are the ultimate choice for older persons suffering from heart conditions, psoriatic arthritis, obesity, high blood pressure, and constant migraines.

There are several water aerobics exercises for seniors.

Why Become Water Aerobics Certified?

Becoming a water aerobics instructor can be achieved by:

  • Water aerobic certification classes
  • Water aerobic certification online courses
  • Water aerobics instructor training

If you live in a large city, you can also check for seminars or workshops by searching Google for “water aerobics classes near me” or “aqua aerobics near me.”

The benefits that come with hiring the right person for the job are innumerable, so is getting a good personal trainer, a group trainer, or an aqua fitness instructor.

Planning out a good water aerobics exercise routine will be a great plus for any personal trainer.

This can be easily achieved by taking any of the above water aerobics certifications.

A water aerobic exercise routine is an exercise program that involves physical activity that can help lose weight, lose obesity, and in turn, save lives.

Suppose I was looking to hire a water aerobics instructor for my mum. In that case, I will only consider those professionals with a recognized aqua aerobics certification, and a higher percentage of people will definitely do the same.

Conclusion on Water Aerobics Certifications

I think both water aerobics certifications are excellent choices if you want a specialized personal trainer certification.

These group exercise certifications can greatly add to your general personal training certification.

Teaching water aerobic classes can be enriching as well as fun. It is excellent for individuals that can handle the stress of resistance training. It is very light on the joints, yet still provides some resistance.

Water Aerobics Certification - Top 2 Certifications For Instructors in [year] 7
Water Aerobics Certification - Top 2 Certifications For Instructors in [year] 8

The earning potential of personal trainers has continually increased the competitiveness in the market, so getting a recognized certification will do more good.

If you are looking for continuing education and have a pool in your gym, you might want to consider either one of these certifications.

Most certifying agencies, such as ACE or NASM, will accept either one of these as continuing education credits.

Teach water aerobics

No matter the water aerobics certification or class you choose to take, virtual or in-person, always ensure that your clients provide medical advice diagnosis; this will help reduce accidents, especially in the case of live classes.

Before you proceed to take any of the two certifications above, ensure you already have a personal trainer certification or sufficient experience as a personal trainer.

Overall, I would have to give a slight edge to the ACE certification because it is slightly cheaper, and I like the support and structure of the course materials they offer.

Ultimately, the choice of the water aerobics certification you choose is yours to make.

Let me know what you think by commenting down below.

If my article were helpful, I would appreciate it if you would like to use one of the social media buttons or tell your friends and family about it! Happy personal training!

Tyler Read - Certified Personal Trainer with PTPioneer

Tyler Read


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10 thoughts on “Water Aerobics Certification – Top 2 Certifications For Instructors in 2024”

  1. I am surprised that WaterArt (Canada) was not included. It has been around for decades. It accepts training hours in many of the above groups toward recertification. Working muscle groups in both shallow and deep water are covered. Resistance and buoyancy toys are often used. Training and recertification in person, streaming, and by dvd.

    Reply
    • Hey Diane, that is a good certification idea for the future. I will revisit some of these and possibly include this in the future list.

      Reply
    • Hey, the ACE Water Exercise Course can be found under specialization courses on the ACE website. It isn’t an outright certification, but it is used for continuing education now.

      Reply
    • Hello,
      you’ll have to check with your provider to see if these different personal training certifications function as continuing education credits for physical therapy. That is a very specific question that I cannot answer full.

      Reply
  2. I think they off ceus but not actual aqua instructor certifications If they go I want to know how and where to find that? I called afaa and asked if they offered aqua certifications and they said no

    Reply
    • Hello Cathy
      All of these aquatic exercise certifications should count as continuing education for the majority of the big personal training certifications such as AFAA, NASM, ACE, ACSM, NSCA etc. I could not imagine that any of these would not accept continuing education credits from the is on the list. I hope this helps.

      Reply
      • Hey, we do not offer certification. You will have to go directly to the association that you want to certify with to get certified.

        Reply

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