In 1996 Aqua7 Rescue (Aqua 7) was born out of the passion of water rescue by its founder Tony Hargett.  As a waterman, curriculum developer, and senior instructor, Tony created Aqua7 to fulfill his professional goal of promoting the use of personal watercraft in the performance of water rescue operations.

His love of water rescue began early in life when he was employed as a surf lifeguard in Ventura County, California.  Operating personal watercraft since 1984, his skills and experience, have developed to conform to the needs of agencies working in all types of water.  Fulfilling his calling of helping people in their time of need, as a firefighter for the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department, he created the training program for their rescue watercraft operations.  In 1994 the California State Fire Training Group approached him with a request to allow his rescue watercraft curriculum to be challenged and scrutinized by his peers in the field of water rescue.  After review, his curriculum met the challenge and earned him and his program the respect of his fellow water rescue experts. To this day, his curriculum and training program at Aqua7 has been used by agencies throughout the nation and internationally as the foundation of their rescue watercraft training standards, guidelines, and protocols. Aqua7 has taught courses abroad in Guam, England, and Malaysia.

Aqua7 realizes that water rescue team members do not know what they do not know.  So much can be ascertained through experienced training. The mission at Aqua7 is to take your agency from not knowing the information you need to know in order to provide a safer and more effective rescue watercraft program to an agency that will be better trained and experienced in floods, lakes, rivers, ocean waves and other bodies of water.

Aqua7 desires to work with your agency to develop a program that is customized to meet the objectives and needs of your organization responding to the waterways and bodies of water you serve.

The Aqua7 program is intently focused on using rescue swimming skills and techniques for efficient and successful rescues along with teaching participants to become comfortable with all aspects of being in the water.  Aqua7 will provide training classes designed to guide your agency from the desire to develop a rescue watercraft program to the actualization and realization of performing water rescues within your agency’s waters. Aqua7 training will allow your agency to provide a higher level of service to the public you were sworn to protect and serve.