Whale Beach Surf Life Saving Club

At Whale Beach we encourage all active patrolling members to compete for the club. There are a number of local carnivals throughout the season and you can enter as young as 12 through to the masters categories.

The only requirements to compete are;

You must have and be proficient in Cert. II Public Safety/Bronze Medallion or Surf Rescue Certificate (SRC).
You must have logged 25 beach patrol hours (hours are counted from 1st January until 31st December of the same year!)
To have fun and be a good sport!

Whale Beach has had a number of successful surfboat crews who compete on a state and national level. Our "Big Fish" crew of 2008/09 are the current NSW Open Men's champions.

If you don't want to compete but still want to participate in the carnival day atmosphere you can become an official, we always need more.

For more information on how to become an official click here (Link to Courses & Lifesaving education page) and register your interest.

There is an event for everyone, so check out the events for the 2009/10 season and get training.

Sports Calendar

Click here to view the 2009/10 Sydney Northern Beaches Surf Sports Calendar.

Surf Life Saving - Surf Sports Events

Surf Life Saving competition involves a large number of events held at regular interclub, district, state and national levels. The following will provide a short description on each event.

March Past

An iconic Surf Lifesaving event dating back to the 1920s. A team of twelve club members march around a rectangular course on the beach to music led by their Flag Bearer carrying a club flag and a reel party carrying a traditional surf reel. They are judged on eight separate sections these are; Time & Step, Arm Swing, Leg Action, Body Carriage, Covering, Spacing & Dressing, Wheeling & Length of Pace. The team with the least amount of faults wins the competition.

Beach Flags

Beachflags is a traditional event that has existed since the very beginning of Lifesaving. It involves a group of lifesavers competing for flags (pieces of hose-pipe). An athlete is 'knocked-out' each time and eventually there is a run-off between two lifesavers. The person who wins the flag, wins the event.

Beach Sprint

Beach sprint is as it sounds. It involves a sprint over a distance of approx 70 metres for Juniors & Masters and approx 90 metres for over 15s up to seniors. This distance sometimes depends on the amount of beach available at the time.

Beach Relay

The beach Relay consists of a team of four competitors and a rubber piece of hose. Members 1 & 3 are stationed at one end of the lanes whilst members 2 & 4 are at the other. The object is to successfully complete the race without dropping the baton and exchanging within the set boundaries.

Ironman/Ironwoman

This event is the ultimate or main event in lifesaving. The Ironman/Ironwoman has its own series to support this claim. It involves four legs: swim, malibu, ski and run. It is an endurance event and is not for the faint-hearted.

Under 15&17s Ironman/Ironwoman

This is a slightly easier version than the open or regular ironperson events. It only requires the competitors to complete the board and the swim sections and leaves out the ski leg.

Surf Ski - Single and Double races

Surf ski is an event that requires balance, coordination, power and endurance. It involves negotiating your way through the surf, around a set course and then returning to shore courtesy of the surf (if any). Mastering the surf ski can be a long and tedious activity. Double ski requires the same as single but you also need teamwork. Synchronisation is the key to a double ski race.

Board Race

The board race is done by using a malibu board. It also involves negotiating the break and then following a set course of buoys. You then return to shore surfing the waves back to the beach. First over the line is the winner. The board race requires balance, strength and endurance.

Board Relay

A team consists of three competitors and just the one board. The first team member paddles out and goes around the buoy then heads back towards the shore and swaps with the second team member who does the same. The final team member has to complete the same course and then cross the finish line. The first team to successfully pass all the buoys and cross the finish line will be declared the winner.

Surf Race

The surf race involves swimming around a course of buoys placed out in the ocean. Getting through the shore break can be tough, but then to be a lifesaver you must be tough.

Wade Race

One of the most exciting events out of all the competitions. Four athletes have to wade, dive or swim their way through waist depth water around the three Water Safety Markers from left to right.

Taplin Relay

This event consists of a team of 6 competitors (2 swimmers, 2 board paddlers and 2 ski paddlers). At the start the 1st swimmer completes the swim then tags the 2nd swimmer who completes the course. The 2nd swimmer then tags the 1st board paddler and so on until the last ski paddler crosses the line. This event is time consuming but has a good team aspect about it.

Surf Boats

There are five competitors to each boat, four of these are rowing and one is the sweep or the person that steers the boat. The aim is to row out and around their designated buoy and back into the shore and the winner is the first boat to cross the finish line or for the boat to run aground.

Surf Belt Race

Traditional race using surf lifesaving reels that are no longer in use as a lifesaving method. Swimmers have to negotiate the break to get out to the designated buoys. It is a team effort with four linesmen and the swimmer ensuring the right amount of drag is achieved to make the swimmers job easier.

Rescue & Resuscitation

This event involves demonstrations in the traditional rescue and resuscitation procedures. The member of the team must swim out to the patient with the belt and line once the person reaches the patient they are hauled back to waist depth and begin resuscitation procedures. The team with the least mistakes and therefore the lowest score wins.

Run Swim Run

Competitors must run approximately 200 metres, pass a flag then swim out a variable distance depending on surf conditions. They then swim around a set of buoys then return to the shore as quickly as possible and make the run back to the start finish line. The first across the line is the winner.