Salty Sundays at Sunshine Beach Surf Club
It’s that time of year when Sunday mornings at Sunshine Beach are for sandy toes and zinc noses – nippers season is back. Jodie Cameron gets amongst it.…
As a parent, nothing brings more comfort than knowing your child understands water safety. As my own boys inch closer to Nippers age, I’ve found myself thinking more about what it actually means to grow up by the beach. Noosa to Sunshine Beach is a stunning stretch of coastline, but it can also be unpredictable. Knowing how to read the ocean isn’t just a nice-to-have skill, it’s a necessity for growing up here and that’s exactly what the Sunshine Beach Surf Club Nippers program is all about.
Sunshine Beach Surf Life Saving Club’s president Craig Law said that comfort starts with one thing above all else.
“The most important skill the club wants every child to walk away with, is knowing how to stay calm, recognise danger and respond safely if something unexpected happens in the water,” he said.
It’s a message Craig is keen for every family to hear, not just the sporty ones. Nippers isn’t just reserved for confident swimmers or competitive kids – it’s for every child who visits the beach, swims in a pool, goes boating or simply spends time near water. Plus, along the way they build confidence, resilience and respect for the ocean – all while having a ball and making friends for life.
“Nippers learn how to read the surf, identify rips and hazards, float, signal for help and make safe decisions,” Craig says. “They are serious life skills, but they are taught through fun beach activities, games, teamwork and plenty of time in the water with their friends.”
The club’s Junior Activities program – for kids aged under seven to under-14 – is built on five pillars: lifesaving knowledge, lifesaving skills, friendship, fun and family, with research showing kids are more likely to stay active in sport long-term when their parents are engaged alongside them.
Craig sees this play out every season. Sunday mornings are filled with beach games, boards and laughter for the kids, while parents get their own chance to make friends and get involved, and become part of the wider Sunshine Beach Surf Club family without noticing.
“That sense of belonging is what brings people back year after year,” he says.
The program is also a real pathway. Nippers begin with Surf Play at seven, learning the basics of beach safety, before working through age-based Surf Life Saving Australia awards, Surf Aware, Surf Safe and Surf Smart, and for those who stick with it, the Surf Rescue Certificate at age 13.
Head Coach Wes Berg, a former Nutri-Grain Ironman who competed professionally for 21 years, and Assistant Coach Jade Berg, a former Uncle Toby’s Ironwoman, now lead the club’s next generation through the same waters they once raced.
“It’s incredibly rewarding watching a Nipper’s transformation from a nervous child dipping their toes in for the first time, and by season’s end, paddling a board and cheering on the next nervous kid to have a go,” Craig says. “Just as rewarding is watching former Nippers return as youth leaders, coaches, officials and patrolling lifesavers, passing on the same skills and friendships they once received.”
Fourteen-year-old Tylah Czajkowskyj is proof of that. A former Nipper who chose lifesaving over competition, Taylah performed a solo, textbook rescue last year that saved a man’s life. She’s now a volunteer lifesaver, completing a school-based Certificate III in Business traineeship alongside Grade 10.
What starts as a Sunday morning on the sand, can take you somewhere extraordinary. For plenty of Nippers, it also leads
to a first job. Many Nippers go on to volunteer, coach, officiate or step into leadership roles, while others land their first job at the Supporters Club as teenagers – a stepping stone into hospitality, customer service, or flexible work alongside school and university.
It’s a nice full circle moment because everything from the bistro to the bar helps fund the lifesaving services, training and equipment that make the Nippers program possible in the first place.
“Come along and give it a go,” Craig says. “Your child doesn’t need to be the fastest swimmer or the most confident in the ocean. Nippers meets kids exactly where they are, building water safety skills that could one day save a life, theirs or someone else’s.”
The program starts on 11 October and runs through until 7 March, but the Surf Club isn’t just for Nipper families. With the best views on the coast, there’s plenty happening beyond the sand for locals to drop in for. Visit the website to sign up for the 2026/2027 Nippers season.
BEYOND THE SAND
There’s always something happening at the Sunshine Beach Surf Club.
Pink & Pinot
8 October, 6pm.
Breast Cancer awareness dinner
with Lambrook Wines.
Faulty Towers
23 October, 6.30pm.
A hilarious interactive dinner show.
The Riviera Melbourne Cup
3 November, 11am.
3-course meal, 3-hour drinks package, Limoncello Spritz Bar, Fashions in the Field, Live entertainment.
Weekly Specials:
Monday: Steak Special, $25 (250g rump)
Tuesday: Dim Sum Banquet
Wednesday: Steak Night, 20% off
Thursday: Tacos & Margarita, $30/$26 members.
Open seven days – all-day dining from 11.30am-8pm (breakfast weekends from 8am) phone 5447 5491 to book.
Free courtesy bus runs everyday.
Visit www.surfclub.sunshinebeachslsc.com.au menus, bookings and more.
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