Coolangatta Surf Life Saving Club Junior Activities will enrich the lives of children through fun, involvement and the acquistion of personal, lifesaving and competition skills, in a safe aquatic enviroment. Junior Surf Lifesaving provides a unique activity for young people to enjoy. It is a program which provides an enviroment where children can have fun, meet new friends and at the same time gain physical exercise and providing them with an education about the beach.
Children & Youth will be educated in Surf Awareness, Surf Safety, Surf Survival & Surf Rescue skills which will help them to survive and provide safety for others in the Aquatic enviroment.

Coolangatta Nippers

Junior (Nippers)
Members aged 5 to 14 are known as Junior Activities Members or "Nippers"
and learn surf survival skill with an emphasis on fun.

Preliminary Assessment
(Pool Swim/Survival Float)
It is compulsory that all children must be tested before they enter or participate in any SLSA Junior Activities. This is to ensure that each child demonstrates a standard of competence to enable preliminary levels of survival skills in an aquatic environment to be achieved.
Preliminary assessments should be completed after the nipper has signed on as a member and prior to their first day of Junior Activities (nippers).
See (Appendix 2) for Junior Activity Age Requirement Summary and (Appendix 3) for the processes and procedures for the Preliminary Assessments (Survival Float / Pool Swim) and a sample form generated from the SurfMate Program.
Preliminary Assessments:
Under 8/ 25 metre swim (any stroke) 1 minute survival float
Under 9/ 25 metre swim (any stroke) 1 minute survival float
Under 10/ 25 metre swim (freestyle) 1.5 minute survival float
Under 11/ 50 metre swim (freestyle) 2 minute survival float
Under 12/ 100 metre swim (freestyle) 2 minute survival float
Under 13/ 150 metre swim (freestyle) 3 minute survival float
Under 14/ 200 metre swim (freestyle, in less than 5 minutes) plus
3 minute survival float.
NOTE: The above distances are the minimum requirements. Some Branches may set distances above the minimum requirements. Please ensure that you liaise with your respective Branch Junior Director of Lifesaving.

Competency Test(Run, Swim, Run)
To maintain our safety and lifesaving standards, the Association has set a standard of competency that a Junior Activities member must achieve before being eligible to compete in carnivals.
The competency test is not an award. The test is to be carried out at the beach and involves a continuous effort of running, swimming (overarm) and must be completed prior to the junior award being processed. Please click here for all award details or alternatively download Junior Information Booklet below.

All new members are required to fill out a membership form, one for each child participating in Nipper Sundays. and one parent or guardian has to sign up as an Associate member to be actively involved with your child on the beach. All active members & volunteers working on the beach with children must also hold a current Australian Working with children Blue Card, please download all relevant information & forms in left hand column.