Nippers @ The Lakes

Nippers means serious fun!

Nippers is a junior program that introduces children aged 5 to 13 to surf lifesaving. It is a fun outdoors activity that grows a child’s confidence, teaches valuable life skills and knowledge. 

The youth of today are the future of Surf Life Saving, and the Nippers pathway teaches lessons and skills allowing them to continue in lifesaving and sport as they grow older.

But it’s not hard work. We like to call it serious fun! Nippers is a great way for children to make friends, be active and enjoy the beach in a safe environment.

Nippers are Australian for life. Are your kids?

Little Rippers (3-5 years)

Here at The Lakes SLSC we understand how important it is to ensure that children are introduced to the beach environment from an early age, so we have introduced the 'Little Rippers' program that caters to children aged from 3-5 years old. Learning to have fun at the beach is the first step in becoming a Nipper at The Lakes SLSC!                           

Nippers under 6 & 7

This is a very popular age group and is the start of our nipper surf awareness and education. This is a fun time for the little ones and a time to learn how to enjoy and respect the beach and surf.  This group only enters the water to their knees so there is no necessity to meet a swim time for proficiency.                                                                                            

Nippers under 8 - 12

We begin to introduce pointscore in our Sunday morning program and surf carnivals to our Nippers from U8's. This is also when board training commences (optional). As with the younger age groups, we still focus on surf safety & awareness in our older age groups.                                                                                                                                                           

Rookies/ Youth 13-17

The Rookie Lifesaver Program has been developed for youth in U13-U14 age group. This is followed by our successful Youth Engagement Program that caters for members from 13 years through to 19 years old. This program focuses on the values and behaviours that our next generation of Surf Lifesavers  require, while having loads of fun at the same time.

What age group will my child be in?

The Age your child is on the 30th September of this year determines what age group they are in. For example, if your child is 11 on September 30th, they will be in the U12's age group. Use the table below to determine what age group your child will be in, based on their date of birth.

Junior Preliminary Swim Evaluations

For the 2023/24 season, an updated Preliminary Skills Evaluation has been introduced nationally.

 This has been redeveloped to reflect industry standard research in aquatic skills, and there is a greater focus on foundation skills in the water, which assist in making rescue-ready lifesavers.

 Many activities that will be completed by children as part of Junior Activities will be conducted in the water. To ensure that all children have a suitable swimming ability to allow them to participate in these activities, SLSA has developed a Junior Preliminary Evaluation for each age group. Every junior member must participate in this evaluation before any water-based activities are undertaken. Clubs can set standards that exceed the requirements set by SLSA but not below this standard.

 Note: It is not an assessment that, if not completed competently, precludes the child from becoming a member or continuing with junior surf education or training activities. Any child who does not meet the required evaluation level will require a higher level of supervision when involved in water-based activities at the club's discretion and the availability of water safety.

Please  click on the link to view the Preliminary Swim Evaluation Form  Preliminary Swim Evaluation Form 

When to arrive each Sunday

Little Ripper’s, U6’s & U7’s

U8’s - U14’s

In the condition of dangerous surf or extreme weather, such as a thunderstorm Nippers may be canceled. Please ensure that you have downloaded our app to receive important updates. We will also post updates on the club's Facebook page in the event of changes or cancellations to a Nippers session.

Some photos used on this site are taken from #afoxyfoto