What is Nippers?

Nippers is a program tailored for 5–14-year-olds and their families which fosters a dynamic environment for families to have fun and friendship and gain invaluable life skills.

Through engaging activities centred around surf safety, lifesaving techniques, and ocean skills, Nippers not only builds essential survival skills but also develops a level of camaraderie and teamwork.These future lifesavers embark on a journey of personal development, instilling qualities of leadership that extend beyond the shoreline.

Nippers is more than a program; it is a community where lifelong friendships are formed, and the thrill of the surf is matched only by the joy of shared experiences.

Benefits of participation  

• Builds foundational skills for days on the beach, whether that is relaxing, patrolling or surf sports.
• Provides a sense of being integrated into a broader community.
• Delivers a source of friends and learning how to interact with others.
• Teaches a diverse range of skills, not just beach and water safety, but teamwork and other foundational skills which help later in life.
• Helps spark an interest in Surf Life Saving and provides an access point into the movement.
• Nippers makes you more confident and comfortable in the water.
• After being a Nipper, patrolling seems more accessible and easier to achieve.

What does Nippers aim to achieve?  

• A way for young people to build surf awareness and surf safety skills. 
• Bridges the gap between lifesaving and surf sports. 
• A pathway into the movement for Nippers and their families. 
• Playing at the beach while learning lifelong skills and making lifelong friends. 
• A fun opportunity for families to spend time together at the beach. 

How can we join?

If your children would like to become involved in Nippers - contact your local surf life saving club.

Surf Life Saving Clubs create 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 nippers in the water and the sand.

Child Safe Environment

For more information on how we create a safe environment for Nippers please see the Child Safe section of our website.