What is Nippers?

Junior Activities Life Saving is commonly known as “Nippers” and is made up of infants, primary and secondary school aged children.  It is a great way for kids not only to learn how to be safety aware at the beach but also how to build confidence in the water.

The activities are run by a group of trained supervisors called Age Managers. Our Nipper Age Managers teach based on their experiences across patrolling, competing, or just enjoying the surf in order to build teamwork, individual skills and confidence in the Nippers.

During Nippers, children will learn a variety of skills depending on their age group, including: Rips & Currents; Safely moving in and out of the surf; Board paddling; Swimming; Sprinting; Wading and fun activities and games. North Curly emphasizes fun whilst developing these important skills.

You do not have to be competitive or athletic or even confident in the surf. One of the best things about Nippers is seeing young children who are scared of the water lose their fear during the season. 

North Curl Curl’s goal is to make Nippers as inclusive as possible and this is represented by our commitment to run Nippers for children with any level of ability. Children with learning challenges or with physical impairments are welcome to participate on a Sunday morning through a specialised program called Ripper Nippers. For more information head to the Ripper Nippers Page.

Extra training sessions

We offer a introductory board paddling and water skills course from the first day of Nippers until Christmas. This takes place at 8.30am each Sunday for the first 6 weeks of the season before the Nippers session and is free and voluntary.  Target age groups this session is aimed at the U9’s, age groups U10-14’s are also welcome.

If you want additional mid-week training, they can join the Yellow (intermediary) or Green (advanced) Squads.   Please note these sessions are perfect for children who are comfortable on a board or ocean swim and want something more than Sunday Nippers or maybe want to compete at a carnival.  Visit our Beach and Water Training Page for additional information.

Registration

Click here for all details about how to register and our membership categories and pricing.

Age Groups

Children can join Nippers in the U6 age group (from 5 years olds) through to the U14.  The child’s age is taken as at 30 September each year. Find our age groups here 

Please Note: A child cannot be involved in a Nippers program until they turn 5 years old (eg  if a child turns 5 on 1st November, they are welcome o to join U6’s however they will need to stay in U6’s next season.   

We understand this date can often split up school year friends.  We strongly recommend you stay in your age group where you will likely find other friends or meet new ones.  We also understand being with your bestie will often make the difference of loving nippers even better.  If their birthday falls close to 30 September please approach an Age Manager for options.   

Parent Involvement

As a volunteer organisation, Curly Nippers is run by parents and the club requires all parents to put their hands up and help make it a success for the Kids.  Kids love having their parents involved and more likely want to come, more importantly you will find it very rewarding as well.

Parents are actively encouraged to participate in their child’s Age Group activities.  Whether as Age Manager, Age Marshall, Water Safety (Bronze Medallion required), BBQ, social events or join our Junior Activities Committee to help us make Nippers fun and even better. 

 Any parent who is interested in doing their Bronze Medallion or other training on offer by the club please see the Education Section of our website

Proficiency

Before any child is allowed to participate in any water event or activity (ie. an event where they would be in water out of their depth) they are required to take a proficiency evaluation.

There is a Preliminary Swim Evaluation Day for Nipper Age Groups U8-U14 & SRC. Nippers are required to complete a pool swim and float proficiency either before the season commences or during the first week of Nippers. Please see the Preliminary Swim Evaluation Page for more details.

Children who do not pass the minimum proficiency can still participate in all activities, however for safety they require 1:1 Water Safety if entering the water.

Children who wish to compete at carnivals in both water and beach events will be required to undertake an open water swim proficiency. Please see our Carnival page for more information.

Sunday Activities…

Age Managers will coordinate and guide children to participate in several events. Depending on their age and competency, activities may vary.

To give you a brief idea of what happens on the beach: –

• Sign in and registration – look for an Age Manager at the BBQ grass area near the steps to the beach on the southern side of the clubhouse.
• Last season we started the morning earlier than usual at 8am to allow us to stagger the groups to ensure all were COVID safe.  U6’s start at 8am, U7’s 8.30am, U9/10s start at 9.00am with U10-14’s at 9.30am.
• At the start of your sessions meet your Age Manager on the beach near the clubhouse, by the relevant age marker.
• During this sessions you will participate in beach and water activities.  Younger age groups U6-8 will spend more time on the sand and U9+ will spend more time in the water.  U8’s is a transition season where you will gradually swim and paddle on boards further and into deeper water to get ready for U9’s.
• Nipper sessions usually go around one hour for the younger groups, with the older groups wanting more and can run up to 1.5 hours.
• Sign out and end of Nippers – signing out is just as important as signing in, once down remove your Nippers cap.

Further Information

See our FAQ page

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