Welcome to Black Head Surf Life Saving Club Nippers. Nippers meet most Sundays at 9:30am during the months of October to March each season.

To be eligible to join Black Head Surf Life Saving Club Nippers, children must be five (5) years of age at the 30th September each year. Nippers learn about surf awareness and safety through Surf Life Saving Australia’s Surf Ed program. This program allows children to participate in activities from beach sprints and flags through to swimming and board paddling as they progress through the age groups. The emphasis here at Black Head Surf Life Saving Club is for Nippers to have fun while developing surf awareness.

Aims & Objectives of Nippers

1. To improve the surf awareness and skills of children and young adults in our community.
2. To develop the fitness and sportsmanship of members through training and competition within the club and with other clubs.
3. To encourage and recognise achievement in competitive events, skills development and participation.
4. To develop new members to progress to cadet and senior ranks to carry on the club’s surf patrol and rescue obligations.

This requires the development of rescue and resuscitation, teamwork and leadership skills. Parent Roster – Age Group of the Day The roster column of this calendar is to notify then parents of the age groups indicated on the days that they are responsible for duties to assist with the smooth running of Nippers.

The duties for each week include:

1. Beach Setup – This starts at 8:30am and requires helpers to set out the running track, flag competition areas and put other equipment on the beach. Four parents required.

2. Beach Pack up – This begins at the end of the Nipper activities and involves returning all of the equipment back to the Club, washing down and returning all equipment to storage. Four parents required.

3. BBQ – The BBQ is the major fund raising activity conducted by the Nippers. This task involves the cooking, selling and clean up of the BBQ each week. Four parents are required each week. As the old saying goes, many hands make light work.

Nippers functions best when everyone works together towards the common goal of making the entire experience enjoyable for all. Parent Involvement Parents could also consider gaining Surf Life Saving qualifications. These include the Bronze Medallion and carnival official qualifications. The Bronze Medallion assists both Nippers and the Club. It makes you a qualified lifesaver, enabling you to assist with water safety at Nippers and at carnivals. We have to have a ratio of 1 water safety person to every 5 nippers. Without water safety, there cannot be any water events. You can also help the Club by becoming an active patrol member and join a patrol team.

Black Head SLSC has a history of strong performances at surf carnivals, with the nippers consistently winning the inter-club point scores. As a condition of entry to all carnivals, the Club must provide carnival officials at the ratio of 1 official for every 7 competitors. Our growing competitor base means we also need to increase the number of officials provided. Bronze medallion and officials courses will be run at various times this season and will be advertised in the newsletter.

Age Group Eligibility

Children who join the surf club can look forward to having fun, meeting friends and learning surf skills that will enable them to progress to competent Surf Life Savers.

Age Groups are a minimum of 5 yrs up to a maximum age of 13yrs on a seasonal basis. The age group for the season is determined as at midnight on the 30th September at the commencement of that season.

Please note that Proof of age/birth certificate must be shown for all new children joining the Surf Club or for any child that has not produced a birth certificate previously.

Nippers Uniforms

The minimum uniform requirement for Nippers to participate on a Sunday is a Black Head Surf Club Skull Cap and Pinky (Hot Pink surf sport vest). This will be available to you with your registration and spares/additionals can be purchased through uniforms. Without these items your Nipper WILL NOT be able to participate in the activities. This is a safety requirement of the Club and SLSA.

Black Head Surf Life Saving Club 2024-25 Nippers Season Calender

Note : Sunday nippers sign on is 9am for a 9.15am start

For the Black Head Surf Life Saving Club Nippers to be a success, parental assistance is vital. The program cannot run successfully without the support of the parents and guardians of these young club members. Each week people are required to assist with the set up and pack down of the Nippers beach activities.

The Club runs a BBQ following the beach events each Sunday to sustain hungry Nippers and their families, and as a fundraiser for the club. This is an important social activity within Black Head Surf Life Saving Club, and volunteers who assist with running this event are welcomed and appreciated.

Nippers is a wonderful experience for the whole family as it develops fitness, sportsmanship and teamwork amongst all children who participate. It is  hoped that families will come along to Black Head Surf Life Saving Club and enjoy the season with Club Members and local residents.

For further information, please get in touch with the Director Junior Activities at nippers@blackheadslsc.com.au.