My eldest turned 5 in September and you know what that means? It's time to join the local Nippers. Living so close to the beach and going as often as we do, beach safety is very important to our family, so we have registered him for the Helensburgh-Stanwell Park Surf Club's Nippers program for the 2022/23 season.

It cost $45 for the uniform and $55 for my son and I to join (a guardian must also sign up to the club). The NSW Active Kids vouchers covered his enrolment fees – an initiative by the NSW Government that provides two $100 vouchers for parents, guardians and carers of school-enrolled children to use towards sport and active recreation costs each year.

When does the Nippers program start?

Nippers starts on 23 October 2022 and registration is now open! All kids aged 5-13 are welcome to join the club for some fun and learning on the beach this summer.

Why would you recommend parents enrol their kids? 

Surf lifesaving is a great activity for growing a child’s confidence, knowledge and skills in the beach environment. Not only will your child have fun and meet new friends, they will become part of an iconic organisation that has served the Australian community for over 100 years.

Surf Life Saving Clubs create and tailor a program to suit the needs of their members and their beach conditions. The program will be focused on participation and enjoyment and will not just be built around competition. The goal is to increase the confidence and skill base of the nippers in the water and the sand.

What does it teach young kids about the ocean?

Nippers learn about surf awareness and safety through the Surf Life Saving Surf Education Program. They are also able to participate in board paddling, surfing, swimming, running, wading and other fun activities and games.

We do not teach children how to swim, however, we will teach them surf skills and educate them about the beach environment. Given the activities are conducted in a marine environment; Nippers are encouraged to undertake regular swim training through a local club or pool.

Practising these skills allow children to compete in Club, Regional and State surf life saving carnivals representing their clubs. HSP Surf Life Saving Club offers a program of surf awareness, skills coaching and competition at various levels, similar to the events that Australia's Surf Life Savers participate in.

While competition is an important element, the surf awareness and education aspect is a primary aim. Children are taught from a young age how to respect the surf read the surf and use the surf to their advantage.

This is done in an environment of fun, healthy lifestyle and camaraderie which is unique to surf life saving.

Who runs the program?

The Education Officer of the Helensburgh Stanwell Park Surf Club co-ordinates all the instructors and coaches within the club.

All our coaches and instructors are volunteers and have the required qualifications through Surf Lifesaving Australia. Many of our instructors are teachers by profession, which enables quality delivery and structure for all our programs.

Coaches have all completed the 'Foundation Coaching Course' and have the required qualifications to teach their specialist discipline, ie Boat Driver, Surf Coach, Beach Coach, Bronze Medallion etc. The club itself is run completely by volunteers with each member adding their skill set to the overall  knowledge base that makes the club such a success.