Our program aims to create a safe and fun environment to teach valuable water safety and lifesaving skills.
The Nipper's program is run by our qualified lifesavers and Age Managers and teaches skills such as board paddling, swimming, survival skills and water safety in an engaging and active way.
2020-21 Nipper Sessions Our session this season will run on a Saturday Afternoon, starting at 2:00 pm. More information will be released via TeamApp closer to the start date.
The nipper program runs every week. If its poor weather, nippers will not be run. A notification will be sent via TeamApp with online nippers’ activities that children can engage with.
Parents / Caregivers ** A Parent or Guardian is required to stay on the beach for the duration of Nippers and wear a mask. ** Please ensure that you provide adequate supervision for your child whilst at Nippers.
We strongly encourage parent participation and greatly value your assistance if you would like to get involved and the kids love it too. If you would like to be involved as a parent in our nippers program, consider the Age Managers course! https://lsv.com.au/clubs-members/nippers/age-managers/
We remind everyone that it is a requirement of Surf Life Saving Australia and our Club’s insurance that Nippers must be 5 years of age to participate in the program.
Nippers Program The underlying principles of our program is: - Water safety - Confidence - Enjoyment Beach Activities - Signals - Running over a set distance on the sand (distance depending on age) - Flags - laying flat on the sand, then getting up and running a short distance to grasp lengths of hose standing in the sand - Beach relays - Teams running relays over similar distances to the beach Water Activities - Essential water safety (survival floating, reading water and wind, etc) - Surf wading / running through shallow water (usually for younger age groups) - Learning to use a board - Learning about board rescues - Board relays and Surf swims – swimming/paddling from the beach to the buoy and back accompanied by a volunteer lifeguard (only for older children)
Preparing Your Nipper The nipper program is run by our Nipper Coordinators together with the members of our lifesaver team. All nippers’ sessions run on Saturdays, with staggered starting times for each age group
Sign-in Please arrive on time for nippers. Use the QR code at the door of the lifesaving club upon arrival and find your child’s age group area. Hands will be sanitised, and your child will then be signed in by the Age Manager in charge before starting activities. Pink nipper vests and club caps are compulsory and need to be worn by all nippers so we can quickly identify everyone. These will be available to purchase before the sessions. Pink vests cost $20.00 and caps are $10.00 (pay and order through www.pay.slsa.com.au ONLY prior to commencing Nippers).
What to wear It is important that the children are well prepared for an afternoon at the beach and some essentials include: - Bathers, Long sleeve rashie for extra sun protection or warmth - Nipper cap – compulsory - Pink vest – compulsory - Sunscreen liberally applied before commencing activities - Water bottle - Wetsuit if it’s cold or raining (cheap ones are available from K-Mart, Target, Aldi) - Swimming goggles (optional) - Bathers/towels for parents
Adults will be required to wear masks while supervising their child. Children over the age of 12 will be required to wear a mask to and from the beach but may take it off when participating in Nippers.
Other Information We are a small family based non-competitive club focused on providing a safe environment to learn water skills and have fun. We are located at Ricketts Point - turn left on entering the main car park, and go all the way along the gravel track (as far as you can drive). There is also foot access from Beach Road (stairs leading down from Beach Rd near Dalgetty St).
Any questions please contact Melissa Joy:blscsecretary@gmail.com * The BLSC Committee are aware that some community members may have been financially impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. At the 2020 AGM a vote was held to temporarily reduce membership fees for this coming season. We hope this will allow impacted community members to be part of the Beaumaris Life Saving Club family. Go to Membership for more information.