Surf Life Saving is an inclusive organisation that offers something for everyone. We want all Australians to live an active life, to get involved in life, to participate, and to help save life.
You can do this by becoming a surf lifesaver, getting your kids involved in our Nippers junior activities program, volunteering to be an age manager or helping out with the club barbeque on the weekend. Off the beach, you can help us fundraise, learn first aid or CPR so you can help save a life one day, or simply donate to keep lifesavers on our beaches. The possibilities are endless.
Becoming part of Surf Life Saving means embracing the Australian way of life, meeting great people and getting involved – it means being Australian for life.
By joining a club you can become a coach, official, athlete, fundraiser, supervisor for junior activity programs, committee member, radio operator, trainer and assessor, or rescue boat driver.
A surf lifesaver is a trained volunteer who patrols our beaches on weekends and public holidays.
Surf lifesavers take on a variety of roles including aquatic rescues, providing first aid and emergency care and educating the public about the dangers of the surf.
Becoming a surf lifesaver is satisfying, fun and rewarding. You can enjoy a healthy lifestyle, be trained in aquatic rescue, make new mates, compete in surf sports events and give something back to your local community. At some point you might also help save someone’s life.
To become a surf lifesaver you need to join a surf life saving club. To become a full patrolling member you will also need to obtain your Bronze Medallion qualification.
To hold a Bronze Medallion you must be at least 15 and demonstrate proficiency in surf awareness, survival, patrol and rescue procedures, emergency care plus a knowledge of anatomy and physiology.
Once you’ve successfully gained a Bronze Medallion and joined a club, you can wear the red and yellow uniform and proudly call yourself a surf lifesaver. Your club will assign you to a patrol team where you'll build skills and experience with the help of other qualified lifesavers.
These members are our front line. They patrol the beach and when necessary perform rescues, administer first aid while keeping ongoing surveillance of the beach during their patrol duties. Duties include;. beach surveillance, radio operations, 1st Aid, resuscitation, surf swimming with and without rescue tubes, IRB's driving & crewing, rescue board riding, rescue jet ski riding, jet boat driving and crewing.
The age group 14 years to 18 years are known as our Cadets. They are in the transition phase from the Nippers into the Active Patrolling Ranks. Their focus is on developing surf awareness, surf skills, resuscitation skills, first aid skills and being a part of the regular each Patrol.
Our Nipper ranks start at 5 years of age and go through to the 13. The prime focus of this group is the learning of fundamental surf skills, surf awareness, resuscitation skills and most importantly having fun. Skills levels are slowly introduced over the period ending with the Nipper moving onto the Cadet ranks with confidence and good basic surf skills. Nippers is about learning new skills, gaining confidence and having fun in a safe beach environment. For Nippers, the beach is the classroom. They gain confidence by passing the 'tests' of swimming, board paddling, beach sprinting, dolphin-diving, spotting a rip, having fun with new friends and discovering things about themselves.
Our Associate members are quite often found to be the "behind the scenes" members. They have a variety of involvement, from helping run the club BBQ of a Sunday to being or being an active participant on the club management committee. They are often the willing helpers on club activities, such as fund raisers, working bees, age group personnel and any of 101 other activities revolving around a club. They are an integral part of any Club.
To develop the surf and lifesaving skills of our members competition is held at local, Branch, State & National levels. Competition, while not compulsory, is encouraged and forms an integral part of Surf Life Saving. Competition is based on individual & teams events. Competition activities include; beach sprinting, beach flags, march past, surf swimming, rescue board, surf skis, surf boats, IRB's, first aid competition and patrol competition. Members can also be coaches, officials and administrators in surf competition.
Experience in First Aid? First aiders manage emergency situations and deliver competent emergency care until the arrival of professional medical support.
Do you have a voice for Radio? Radio operators can work on patrol or in our Communications Centers. Surfcom operators coordinate emergency services (police, fire and ambulance) providing prompt responses & support to our clubs during incidents. The possabilities are endless and whether you have loads of experience or none at all, your skills are valuable to us.
If you already know which club you want to join, visit Lifesaving Online and follow the easy steps. If you are unsure which club is best for you, contact your local surf life saving club for more information. To find a South Coast Branch Club use the South Coast Branch Clubs page.
For further information please contact the South Coast Branch of Surf Life Saving NSW on 02 4421 2614
