Moruya Nippers
Nippers is about learning new skills, gaining confidence and having fun in a safe beach environment. Nippers gain confidence by passing the 'tests' of swimming, board paddling, beach sprinting, dolphin-diving, spotting a rip and having fun with new friends.
Moruya Surf Life Saving Club runs an active Nipper’s program for children aged 5 to 14 years (inclusive).
At Moruya our focus is on educating and encouraging our nippers to gain confidence, respect and enjoyment for the beach environment. Skills are taught, practiced and assessed according to the age and ability of your child’s allocated group.
Children learn best when they are having fun, so while they are learning potentially lifesaving skills, they are also enjoying the teamwork and fun activities led by their age managers.
Nippers is usually held at Moruya South Head Beach – our surf club beach. However, depending on conditions, we may head over to Shelley Beach or to the river at North Heads.
Age groups are determined as at 30 September – for example, to be eligible for the under 6 age group, your child must have turned 5 before 1 October this year.
Club competition commences with the Under 8’s age group. This enables your child to participate in Far South Coast Branch carnivals and events - from Batemans Bay to Pambula.
Each nipper has a passbook that follows them through their nipper years. At the end of each season the age manager checks their competency and they will receive a Surf Safety certificate. By the time each child completes Nippers they should feel confident to progress to a qualified lifesaver by gaining their Bronze Medallion. At a minimum, they will understand surf safety enough to avoid danger, save their own life or someone else’s.
Moruya Surf Club is a volunteer community organisation, and we depend on parent involvement in Nippers.
If you would like to assist with safety in the water at Nippers, you must complete your Bronze Medallion – contact us at to find out when our first Bronze Medallion program begins for this season. There are many other non-water based volunteer roles available – let us know when you join that you are keen to be involved. Your kids will love having you involved, and you will enjoy it too!
Being involved in a community organisation gives our children (and ourselves) a sense of belonging. The surf club offers a healthy, active environment, and many opportunities for travel, officiating, competing and even employment. Once a lifesaver, always a lifesaver!
All nippers must wear a Moruya club cap and a pink vest, and most also choose to wear the Moruya club swimsuit/pants. These can be purchased most Sunday mornings at Nippers. Other Moruya merchandise such as hoodies and towels are also available for purchase.
For more information about Nippers, please email:
How to register your child for Nippers this season
- Register and pay online now!
YOU CAN REGISTER VIA THIS LINK => https://sls.com.au/join
Please make sure you are registered and have paid for both your child and at least one parent / guardian for the current season, before Nippers starts.
It is a Surf Life Saving Australia requirement that at least one parent / guardian per family must also be registered as either a General or Active member. For insurance reasons, your child will not be allowed in the ocean unless they have registered and paid. - Pool Swim Competency Day: Please check our socials and club emails for details
Nippers must complete a pool competency swim before they can participate at the beach.
If you are not able to attend on the scheduled day at Moruya Pool, please organise separately for your child to complete the swim, have the relevant form signed and provided to the Nippers coordinator prior to participating at Nippers.
You can DOWNLOAD the required Nippers Swim Proficiency Form by clicking HERE (PDF Document) or HERE (MS Word Document)
The pool swim competency requirements for the various age groups can be found by clicking HERE or via the SLSA link below:
https://www.surflifesaving.com.au/members/resources/age-groups-preliminary-and-competitions-evaluations-factsheet-0/ - Nippers: Please check our socials and club emails for details. Please be at the Surf Club by 9.20am each Sunday morning for your pre activities briefing
Same Wave
Moruya Surf-lifesaving club is an inclusive and welcoming club, which provides facilities, equipment and volunteers to assist people access the beach who may have Additional Needs or disability.
To read more about our Same Wave program please click HERE
