Not only is Junior Activities a fun way for children to enjoy the beach in a safe environment, it also offers an educational pathway through the delivery of Surf Life Saving Australia’s Junior Development Program. We call it ‘surf ed’.

This program is designed to ensure children have fun at the beach while participating in lessons that provide them with a pathway into lifesaving and sport activities.

As part of the Nipper program, children have the opportunity to gain a Junior Development Award each season:

U6 SURF PLAY / U7 SURF PLAY 2

• Learn beach awareness and water safety
• Beach activities to emphasise games and group participation
• Water activities that are limited to shallow water near the water’s edge
• No competition other than participating in fun games. They will learn event rules by the time they enter the Under 8 (sprints, flags, wade & relays)
• Equal attention to water and beach events

U8 SURF AWARE 1

• Learn surf and sun safety, signals and feel safe.
• Wading, duck diving, grabbing sand under waves
• Board paddling, catching broken waves, correct board position, change direction
• Understand rules; demonstrate sprint, flags, wade and relay
• Recall surf awareness information and basic emergency care procedures
• Perform introductory self-rescue skills
• Complete Run-Wade-Run and improve confidence in the surf
• Equal attention to water and beach events
• Develop basic skills in events and have basic knowledge of the rules
• Ability to train in a group situation and understand training terminology

U9 SURF AWARE 2

• All of Surf Aware 1 plus;
• Learn surf and sun safety, signals and feel safe, wave types, rips and basic First Aid
• Catch broken waves from standing, swim in surf head down
• Board starts with skim, sit/pop, eskimo roll, able to correct board position
• Develop technique in beach events, able to do relay changeovers at speed
• Complete Run-Swim-Run and improve confidence in the surf

U10 SURF SAFE 1

• All of Surf Aware 1 and 2 plus;
• Learn Sun Safety, Signals, feel safe, wave types, rips, basic First Aid and CPR
• Catching unbroken waves from swimming, swim to back break with confidence and speed, slipstream
• Continue to advance skills in all events, knowledge of tactics in flags and wade

U11 SURF SAFE 2

• Learn Surf & Sun Safety, Signals, feel safe, wave types, rips, basic First Aid and CPR
• Apply surf awareness information & operate communications systems
• Provide emergency care (First Aid & CPR Training)
• Complete Run-Swim-Run
• Catch unbroken wave, swim in pack with head down, know when to wade/duck dive
• Introduce board rescue skills, angle across wave, chasing runners
• Beach relay changes at speed, correct sprint starts, correct flags technique and dive
• Begin to concentrate more on specific area (beach/water) but still train at both
• Work on ‘intermediate skills’ and have reasonable knowledge of rules
• Begin moderate endurance training to help with Iron and extra events now available

U12 SURF SMART 1

• All of Surf Safe 2 plus;
• Hold body wave using arm, correct wading
• Advanced board rescue skills, negotiate surf using correct choices, late take offs
• Speed drills introduced, fine tune skills on beach

U13 SURF SMART 2

• All of Surf Safe 2 and Surf Smart 1 plus;
• Learn Surf & Sun Safety, signals, feel safe, wave types, rips, basic First Aid and CPR
• Provide serious trainers with log book to monitor training
• Understand competitive pathways from Junior to Senior (Branch – State – National)
• Swim, board and beach – technique and skill acquisition becomes more individual and correlated to carnival performance

U14 SURF RESCUE CERTIFICATE (SRC)

• All of the above plus;
• Must be 13 years of age on assessment date for the SRC
• Operate communications systems and equipment
• Work in a team
• Communicate in the beach environment
• Participate in an aquatic rescue operation
• Demonstrate resuscitation skills

The number one priority of every Nipper volunteer is the safety of your child. To protect all Nippers and volunteers in a beach environment that can be potentially dangerous, and make sure everyone enjoys their Nipper experience, our Age Managers will action the following 3-step process to manage unacceptable Nipper behaviour:

WARNING – A verbal warning that they will receive a time out if their behaviour does not stop

TIME OUT – If, after a warning, they continue to misbehave, they will be excluded from any activities for a minimum of five minutes or whatever time is deemed appropriate by their Age Manager

SIGN OUT – If, after returning from a timeout, they continue to misbehave, that Nipper will be signed out for the day.
Any Nipper who speaks to a volunteer disrespectfully will be given an immediate timeout or signed out for the day, at the discretion of their Age Manager, and their behaviour will be reported to the Junior Activities Chair.

Nippers are recognised for their outstanding achievement at our end of season presentation day.

GREEN CAP GOLD STAR AWARDS (U6s & U7s)

This award is presented to a boy and girl in the U6 and U7 Green Cap age groups for their outstanding effort during the season. This award is not based on any competition, and is nominated by their Age Manager. The Gold Star Award winners each receive a trophy to keep.

CLUB AGE CHAMPION AWARDS (U8s to U14s)

This award is based on the results of the Club Age Championships.

Age Champions receive a personal trophy and are presented with a perpetual trophy. Runner-ups receive a medal.

ENCOURAGEMENT AWARDS

This award is awarded to a male and female Nipper in each age group who, as judged by their Age Manager, deserve recognition and encouragement for their development as a Nipper.

100% CLUB AWARD

This award is presented to members who have attended 100% of all Nipper Sunday sessions that were run during the season.

PRESIDENT’S CHALLENGE

This award is presented to the Nippers who finished first in the Nipper Board and Mal categories of the President’s Challenge. The President’s Challenge is an annual tradition that sees selected Nippers take on the Club President in a race from Scott’s Point to the finish line in front of our clubhouse.

EMILY ROBINS U14 JUNIOR LIFESAVER OF THE YEAR

Recognises the most outstanding U14 Junior of the season.

The award is named after Redcliffe member, Emily Robins, who was awarded the 2023 Sunshine Coast and Queensland U14 Junior Lifesaver of the Year.

HARRY GRAHAM NIPPER OF THE YEAR

Recognises the most outstanding Nipper of the season from any group. The award is named after Harry who was awarded the 2015 Queensland Junior Lifesaver of the Year.