''Surf Patrol, Australia's Lifesavers'' is an Australian

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

series that airs on the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australi ...

. The series is produced by the Australian production company Cornerbox, the producers of Seven's other factual series ''

The Force The Force is a metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the ''Star Wars'' fictional universe. "Force-sensitive" characters use the Force throughout the franchise. Heroes like the Jedi seek to "become one with the Force", matching their personal wi ...

'' and '' Border Security: Australia's Front Line''. The first season was presented by

Simon Westaway Simon Westaway (born 22 December 1958) is an Australian actor who has appeared in many television series, films and theatre productions. He is most remembered as portraying Sergeant Peter "Noddy" Faithful in the crime drama series '' Phoenix'', ...

, with

Naomi Robson Naomi Robson (born 4 December 1961) is an American-born Australian television presenter who is best known as the former presenter of the east coast edition of '' Today Tonight'', an Australian current affairs program which was broadcast on weekn ...

taking over for season two, and Tom Williams for series three. The show premiered on 9 July 2007. The second season started airing from 12 May 2008, with a third aired from 14 July 2009.

Overview

The show follows the work of volunteer Surf Lifesavers on the beaches of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Victoria, and

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. It also features the work of the Sydney Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter and Sydney's Offshore Rescue Boats, such as the

Cronulla District Lifesaver Rescue The Cronulla District LifeSaver Rescue Service works with the Water Police, NSW Police, NSW Maritime, Coast Guard, PolAir Helicopters, Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopters, Bate Bay Surf Life Saving Clubs as well as clubs in the Royal Nat ...

Boat.

Reception

Series One

The first season, consisting of 17 episodes, began airing on 9 July 2007. The first reason of ''Surf Patrol'' was viewed by an average of 1.45 million people in Australia's mainland capital cities over the course of the series and was the highest rating program of the week on several occasions.

Series Two

Following its highly successful debut in 2007, Channel 7 and Cornerbox ordered a second season of ''Surf Patrol'', which began filming on 22 December 2007. The second season consisted of 20 episodes, and covered more beaches than the first series. Surf Lifesaving Australia President, Ron Rankin AM, welcomed the news of a second series and said the program was a tribute to the work of surf lifesavers across the country: "I have travelled around Australia extensively during the Year of the Surf Lifesaver and many people have told me how much they love ''Surf Patrol'' and the realistic portrayal of SLSA members," he said. "We look forward to working closely with Cornerbox and Channel 7 to ensure that the second series portrays the very best of our movement."

Series Three

Season three of ''Surf Patrol'' focused on the beaches of

, primarily the Northern Gold Coast and

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

Surfers Paradise Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...

SLSCs. Many episodes primarily feature Lifesavers Ryan Knight (Lifesaver of the Year), Kenny Lloyd (Surfers Paradise Patrol Captain) and Tom Abella (popular public figure) due to their relative popularity with viewers. The season debuted well, attracting an audience of 1.526 million viewers.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 1208639, Surf Patrol Australian factual television series Seven Network original programming 2007 Australian television series debuts 2009 Australian television series endings Television shows set in Victoria (Australia) Television shows set in New South Wales Television shows set in Queensland