Nippers Information

Nippers Information

INTRODUCTION

Last updated 7th August 2026

Welcome to the 2026/2027 Season.

All registrations are currently OPEN
Nippers normally starts either the last weekend of the October school holidays or the first weekend of school Term 4. Actual date will be announced around August

First day of Nippers: Sunday October 11th

First day of Beach Pups: To Be Advised

Registrations for Nippers & Beach Pups are OPEN

GENERAL
INFORMATION

Nipper (Parent Memberships)
Shellharbour SLSC requires at least one parent per family to be a member, and accompany their child(ren) during Nipper/Beach Pup sessions.
We encourage all parents to be a part of our great Club.

Nippers (Minimum Age)
Children must attain the age of 5 years by 30 September before they can Nippers.
Your child can join U6s after they turn 5, but SLSA requires they remain in the U6s age group in the following season.

Beach Pups
The Beach Pups program is for children pre-Nippers (5 years and under),
Please note that Beach Pups is not a Surf Life Saving program, but is operated by the club in affiliation with Playgroup NSW.
Please keep an eye on socials and this website for a start date and further information around the start of November.
.... To Register for Beach Pups, refer to Join/Renew

Nippers (Registrations)
Please check your child's Age Group before registering. See the Age Groups table below.
Refer to Join/Renew

I have registered. What's next ? What do I need to do before the season starts ?
Prior to the first day of Nippers, you should consider ...

Uniform (compulsory) - Your children must have Hi-Vis pink rashies/singlets and coloured age group caps. Refer to Requirements and Soft Gear section below.
Swim Proficiency (compulsory) - Your children will be required to pass a pool swim proficiency assessment. Refer to Requirements section below
Nipper Board (optional) - U9s and above will use boards. The club has a number of shared / general use boards to use on Nipper training days. Now it is not essential, but you might consider getting your own board ??? Refer to the Boards section below.
Training (optional) - The club runs mid-week training sessions to hone those beach and surf skills. Keep an eye on the socials.
Communications (essential) - How to best stay informed ? After registration, you will be provided with a link to join our WhatsApp Nippers community. You can then request to join your relevant Age Group Chat Group(s).
You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook and also join the Club's Facebook public group..

Nippers (Season Schedule)
Nippers is weekly on a Sunday morning.
It commences early/mid October, and goes through to mid March, with a short break over Christmas / New Year.
2026/27 Nippers Calendar coming soon

Nippers (What to Expect)
A typical Nippers day starts at 8:45 for muster (roll call+assembly), hitting the beach at 9:00.
There is no set end time, but expect to finish around 10:00 for the younger age groups, and around 10:30 for the older age groups.
Competition-style 'Club Champs' days start earlier at 7:45 for U11+ Ironman events, and approx 8:15 for U9+ 1km Beach Run
Weekly notices with important information are released on Facebook, and distributed via Age Group chat groups.

Club Handbook
The Club Handbook provides more indepth information about Nippers and the Club.
It is recommended that all parents review this at the start of every season, especially attendance requirements to receive awards and certificates at the end of the season.

Nippers (Volunteering)
The spirit of volunteerism is the ONLY reason Nippers runs at all. We 100% need all the help we can get. There are many opportunities to get involved.

I'm keen and I want to help out ?
Behind the scenes, there are always vacant committee positions.
On Nippers days, there's a heap of little jobs people could do to help set up, pack up, support the Age Managers, support the BBQ.
Become one of your Age Group's Age Managers - Our younger groups are large, and require a lot of support to keep it fun and engaging for the kids. Don't be a spectator - get involved and help.
Water Safety ... consider obtainining your Surf Rescue Certificate, pull on the orange rashie and get out amongst it with the kids. No Water Safety = No Nippers 😭
First thing to do, start a conversation with your Age Manager ... or Contact us for more information.

FEES & CHARGES

Membership fees:

Register Early !! .... A late fee applies to Nippers registrations after the start of the season.
Late registrations are very disruptive to Nippers preparations and will require committee approval before being accepted.

Nippers Category		< Oct 11th	Oct 11th >
U/6 & U/7	-	$40	$65	requires a Parent/Carer
U/8 to U/14	-	$70	$95	requires a Parent/Carer
General - Parent/Carer	-	$55	$55
Family (of 4 or more)	-	$220	$270	Best for families of 4 or more.
Cadets U/15+	-	$55	$55

Beach Pups Category
General - Parent/Carer	-	$55	does not apply if you already have children in Nippers. A Nipper parent registration also covers Beach Pups.
Beach Pups	-	$0	only requires a Parent/Guardian

AGE GROUPS

Age Groups for the 2026/2027 season if your child is born between the following dates:

Age Group	From		To	Colour	Board
U/6	1st Oct 2020	-	30th Sept 2021	Light Green
U/7	1st Oct 2019	-	30th Sept 2020	Red
U/8	1st Oct 2018	-	30th Sept 2019	Blue	soft *
U/9	1st Oct 2017	-	30th Sept 2018	Maroon	soft
U/10	1st Oct 2016	-	30th Sept 2017	Green & Blue	soft
U/11	1st Oct 2015	-	30th Sept 2016	Red & Whites	soft / hard
U/12	1st Oct 2014	-	30th Sept 2015	Dark Green	soft / hard
U/13	1st Oct 2013	-	30th Sept 2014	Yellow	soft / hard
U/14	1st Oct 2012	-	30th Sept 2013	Purple	racing mal
				* see Board notes below

NIPPER BOARDS

Board Types:
Soft	- A 'foamie'
Hard	- A composite (Fibreglass / Epoxy / Carbon)
Refer to the SLSNSW Junior Board Guide for further information / clarification on board types and competition exceptions.
Notes:	- U/8s will receive an introduction to boards as part of Nippers training. They do not require a board though. - U/9-U/10s will use Soft(foamie) boards. - U/11-U/13s typically use Hard(composite) boards, but Soft(foamie) boards are permitted. - U/14s may use a Soft(foamie) racing mal at Nippers, but can only use a Hard(composite) in competition. - The club has a number of boards for general/shared use during Nippers training days. - Useful resources for 2nd hand boards are: Facebook Marketplace Facebook Group Second Hand Surf Lifesaving Craft, Surf Lifesaving Only Gumtree GearTrade - Useful resources for purchasing brand new boards: Infront Surfcraft Bennett Surfboards Race One Kracka Surfcraft Dolphin / JM / Race One 4D boards CTC Surfcraft Hayden Surfcraft Bravo Boards

REQUIREMENTS

Mandatory Preliminary Swim Evaluation
All age groups (U/6-U/14) must complete a compulsory preliminary (pool swim) evaluation prior to the first day of Nippers.
This is to ensure that your child has a acceptable level of swimming ability for the Age Group.
Your child may not be able to participate in water activities without this.

The Swim Form details what is expected of each age group.

The Club holds scheduled pool swims for this be completed. You MUST be registered before you attend one of these sessions.
Please keep an eye on WhatsApp, socials, website for the announcement dates and booking instructions. Bookings are essential.
If you cannot attend one of the Club's scheduled pool swims, it is your responsibility to see that the swim form is completed.
The assessment can be completed by any accredited swim teacher.
If your child(ren) do swimming lessons or squad training, enquire with your swim coach if they will assess them.
Return the completed form as instructed on the form.

What if my child fails the evaluation ? Can I still do Nippers ?
Yes they can, however we must provide one-on-one supervision whilst out in the water, and that depends on the availability of Water Safety.
Please note that Nippers is NOT a place to learn how to swim. If your child struggles in the water, you really need to seek out swimming lessons. It is important that your child is able to swim the minimum distance comfortably in a pool.

Competition Swim Evaluation
To be able to compete, U9-U14 will need to complete a Competition Evaluation (open water swim). This will be conducted during the first few weeks of Nippers.
It is an open water swim out behind the waves and back again.
Evaluation criteria are on the final page of the Swim Form.

No Rashie = No Nippers 😭
It is mandatory for U6-U14s to wear a high visibility rash singlet when taking part in water activities at Sunday Nippers and at water training during the week (for swim/iron/board/wade). These singlets are available for purchase in our soft gear shop.

Age Group Caps
Every Nipper member must wear a coloured age cap during all Nipper activities. Refer to the Age Groups table above. These are available at the soft gear shop.

Competition Caps
We also have Club competition caps available for representing Shellharbour at carnivals.

Surf Ed Award (Qualification)
Every Age Group has an associated Surf Life Saving Surf Education Award, and Certificate of completion.
To be eligible for the award, your child must have attended a minimum 50% of Nippers sessions.

Club Champs (Qualification)
To be eligible for a 1st,2nd,3rd age group award at the end of the season, your child must have attended 70% of Nippers sessions.

SOFT GEAR

Mandatory Hi-vis Rashie/Singlets and Age Group Caps are available in-person from the Soft Gear Shop, along with a range of swimwear, clothing, and other items for purchase.

The Soft Gear Shop is located at the rear of our Shorebreak BBQ area and is open every Sunday from 8:30am (during Nippers season).

For pre-season sales opportunities, please keep an eye on WhatsApp and socials for opening dates and times.

If you would like to purchase Shellharbour SLSC branded swimwear, please order direct with our supplier Fashion Fish. Contact them first to request an estimated time to delivery.

For all Soft Gear enquiries outside of shop hours - please email our Junior Activities Team