Nippers are young surf lifesavers, usually aged between 5 and 14 years old, in clubs across Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Unlike senior surf lifesavers, the majority of them do not patrol the beaches. The focus for Nippers tends to be on fun, and surf awareness. Nippers learn about safety at the beach. They learn about dangers such as rocks, animals (e.g. the

blue-ringed octopus Blue-ringed octopuses, comprising the genus ''Hapalochlaena'', are four highly venomous species of octopus that are found in tide pools and coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian oceans, from Japan to Australia. They can be identified by their ye ...

), and surf conditions, such as

rip current A rip current, often simply called a rip (or misleadingly a ''rip tide''), is a specific kind of water current that can occur near beaches with breaking waves. A rip is a strong, localized, and narrow current of water which moves directly away ...

sandbar In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. ...

s, and

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. Older Nippers also learn some basic

first aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial in ...

and may also learn CPR when they reach the age of 13. When Nippers are thirteen years old they can complete their SRC (Surf Rescue Certificate), enabling them to patrol beaches and partake in Senior Competition. Like their Senior counterparts, Nippers participate in regular competition against other Surf Lifesaving Clubs, at sports carnivals. Nippers are able to participate in a variety of Individual and Team events, including beach sprints,

Flags A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic desi ...

, swimming and board races, relays, March Past, etc. Unlike Seniors, Nippers do not compete in surf ski or surf boat races, and they also use shorter Surf Boards than their Senior counterparts. Nippers start to compete when they are in the Under 8s age group. The name and availability of the

preschool A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary sch ...

-age group varies from club to club. These groups, sometimes called ''Tiny Tots'' or "Beach Worms", do not compete or learn first aid and surf awareness. Tiny Tots' activities include games, wading and paddling.

Australia

The first Nippers club in Australia was started by

Nambucca Heads Nambucca Heads is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia in the Nambucca Valley. It is located on a ridge, north of the estuary of the Nambucca River near the Pacific Highway. Its 2021 population was 6,675 (6,327 in 2016 ...

Surf Life Saving Club, on the

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mid-north coast, in 1961.

References

{{Reflist
Surf Life Saving Australia Nippers

External links

Bondi SLSC Nippers

Whitmore Bay Nipper Club, UK

Lifesaving South Africa

Life Saving New Zealand
Surf lifesaving Sports originating in Australia Lifesaving in Australia Surf Life Saving New Zealand clubs Lifesaving in New Zealand