Surf Life Saving Tasmania thanks all volunteers who have made an impact during the 2024/25 season, patrolling beaches around the state and working behind the scenes to keep the community safe.

From when the red and yellow flags went up on 30 November to when they came down yesterday, more than 20,000 patrol hours were performed by the state’s volunteer surf lifesavers.

At the close of the Tasmanian patrol season yesterday, volunteers had performed:

• 38 rescues
• 94 first aid treatments
• 1600+ preventative actions

“The season always seems to fly by, however we’ve once again been hugely impressed by the commitment and capability of our members right across the state,” said Ned Reardon, SLST Senior Lifesaving Services Coordinator. 

“On top of regular patrols, members have taken part in out-of-hours callouts and we recently deployed a crew to northern NSW to assist with the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.”

Reardon said while the flags may have come down, there was plenty more to do ahead of the 2025/26 season.

“Most people in the organisation know there’s no such thing as an ‘off-season’,” he said. “The next eight months or so will be a period where clubs ensure equipment is ready to go for next season, begin planning and review the season that’s been.

“SLST will also shortly commence our end of season forums with Lifesaving and Training Managers to ensure we continue to support our clubs and members.

“There’s also plenty of opportunities for members to undertake courses to increase their capability and skills so they can bring them to the beach later this year.”

Of all patrolling volunteers across Tasmania, Port Sorell’s Neil Hargreaves and Burnie’s Geri Doherty stood out with more than 100 hours each patrolling their surf club’s stretch of sand.

The 2025/26 SLST Patrol Season will commence on Saturday 29 November 2025. In the meantime our Emergency Response Teams remain rescue-ready across to state to respond should the need arise. 

We would like to take this opportunity to highlight the ongoing support of the Federal Government, providing Surf Life Saving Clubs with $10,000 each season as part of the Beach Safety Equipment Fund to once again ensure our surf lifesavers were well-equipped to keep the community safe.