Our Nippers
The Nippers of today are the life savers of tomorrow.
SURF PLAY (U6 – U7)
The key focus is on play, participation and fun in order to develop confidence in the beach environment.
Welcome To The Current Season
Nippers are an activity-based program run to educate young children about safety in the surf and on the beach. It helps to raise the children’s awareness when visiting the beach or any aquatic environment. Nippers also introduce the competitive side of Surf Life Saving.
Nippers are the name given to the junior members of the surf club. They are aged 5 years and up to 14 years. Nippers start learning about Surf Life Saving and Surf Awareness through the Surf Ed program. Becoming a nipper is an important first step to becoming a Surf Life Saver. Emphasis is on participation and fun. Nippers usually commence in October and go through to April and activities are held on Sunday mornings but not every week. A calendar will be published with dates and times in the coming month.
We are always looking for assistance on the beach and any volunteers will be given training in the Age Managers role. Without this help on the beach our activities just will not happen! Anyone interested in helping out please contact your child’s age manager or Junior President – Peter Inginellium
Below are some of the important details that parents and Nippers should be aware of, for the upcoming season.
- A parent or responsible adult must be present on the beach at all times during Nippers.
- Caps must be worn at all times during Nippers and removed when Nippers is finished.
- Nippers are reminded that points will be allocated to them, with regard to their attitude and behaviour at Nippers.
- Nippers must inform their age managers before leaving their age group.
The Club will do its best to adhere to a time schedule with regards to Sunday morning Nippers, but please be aware that surf and weather conditions can cause unforeseen changes. Rainy and overcast days can sometimes cause confusion.
Any changes will be placed on the Website and age managers will be notified also.
CLUB Uniform – Swimwear and club apparel available for sale on Activity Days.
Nipper Programs and Awards
Parent Involvement
Nippers also offers lots of opportunities for parents to get involved with their child’s activities and/or with their local Club. You might enjoy just being there to support and encourage your child but if you do want to be actively involved, there’s plenty of ways to do so. You might like to assist the Age Managers with the activities your child is undertaking (or even become an Age Manager), take on a Water Safety role, become a coach or official, help with fundraising, cook the BBQ or even join the Senior Club.
An age manager is a member of the Club who takes responsibility for the instruction, care, safety, well-being and development of a particular age group throughout the season. They use their experience and passion for youth development to mentor Nippers and facilitate fun learning programs that encourage and develop young life savers. Their goal is to enrich the lives of Nippers through the delivery of surf life saving knowledge and skills in a fun and safe aquatic environment. Depending on the size of the group of juniors that Age Managers work with, there may be support from an assistant or other qualified coach/trainer who can teach specific skills.
All Age Managers have participated in the Age Managers Course and Member Screening – Working with Children Check (WWCC). We encourage all parents to join as members and take on the role of an Age Manager (or even get involved as a patrolling member).
If you’re interested in becoming an age manager, get in contact with our Junior Activities Committee
Nipper Expectations and Code of Conduct
We would like to thank these local businesses for their on going support
