Nippers (U6 - U13 years old)

Nippers runs on Saturdays from late October until the end of March each year.

Our regular sessions are held in the afternoon, with school holiday sessions running in the morning.

The nippers program includes a variety of beach and water activities designed to help children develop surf safety, survival and competitive skills, fitness and confidence in a fun environment.

In their designated age group, under the leadership of accredited Age Managers, children participate in the different activities on a ‘rotation station’ basis.

The format rotates on a roster, and may change depending on weather and other conditions - areas of activity include rotating through our surf sports such as:

• swimming

• beach sprints and flags

• fun games

• lifesaving and first aid

• board paddling

West Beach Nippers will be conducted on the beach in front of West Beach Surf Club (1a Seaview Rd, West Beach).

Look for the flags on the beach.

There are toilets located at the surf club.

The first session of the year for Under 8 - Under 13 will be run at Immanuel College iSwim on Saturday 19 October (U6 and 7 will commence Saturday 2 November at the surf club).

Under 8 - Under 13 start on Saturday 19 October. The first session for this group will be held at Immanuel College iSwim.

Under 6 & Under 7 start on Saturday 02 November. The first session will be held at West Beach Surf Club.

The full schedule can be viewed in the Nippers Handbook, and in the Nippers Quick Reference Guide

Nippers are placed in an age group that is determined by the child’s age as at 30 September each year.

All children are required to participate in their relevant age group – unless there is a recognized disability that would be better supported in another age group. In this instance an exemption should be requested from the Director of Juniors.

Children can commence Nippers from their 5th birthday (including mid-season).

Surf Life Saving SA conducts Surf Babies sessions for 1-4 year olds.

This year’s age group guide can be found here.

Our Saturday Junior Training is conducted completely by volunteers - most are parents just like you who give up their time for the development of our kids. To ensure our Age Group leaders can fulfill their role within the legal scope, we require all parents/guardians to please:

• Arrive with your child/ren 10 minutes prior to session start time and meet your Age Group Manager at your age group beach banner

• Be on the beach for the duration of the training session to assist the leaders (eg general activity helping, behaviour management, toilet stops etc), unless you are rostered on BBQ/Uniform Shop duty etc

• Sign your child/ren out from your Age Group Manager at the designated finish time - this will be at their coloured age group beach banner

• If you are unable to fulfil the above duties, please arrange someone to act as your child/rens carer for the afternoon who will carry these responsibilities on your behalf. If not, your child/ren will not be permitted to undertake junior activities. Thanks for your understanding and compliance with this requirement

Our program is very affordable with discounts applicable for multiple children. Fees are inclusive of any surf sports entry fees.

View our fees schedule on our Membership page, including SA Govt Sports Voucher details

As part of WBSLSC’s commitment to keeping children and young people safe, all club members aged 14 or over need a current Working with Children Check (WWCC) registered with the club.

This means before your child’s membership is approved for this coming season, the parent member must provide details of their current WWCC so it can be registered on the SLSSA system.

Surf Life Saving Australia and West Beach are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the young people involved in SLS. This includes having policies and procedures that aim to address risks to child safety and to establish a child safe culture and practices in line with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.

This link also provides some additional information on WWCC.

What do I need to do?

• To help finalise memberships as close to the start of the season as possible, please either register your WWCC with us or instigate a new check at no charge ASAP

• Refer to Working with children check (WWCC) page for details

• Please don’t leave it to the last minute as it may cause issues with registration

If you have any questions about the WWCC process, contact Registrar Sharon Burns - registrar@westbeachslsc.com.au.

Our Director of Junior and Youth Development is Darren Tinkham. He can be contacted via juniors@westbeachslsc.com.au