Hear that stampede down at Tanjong Beach on the weekend? That was the sound of 13 ANZA Singapore Nippers members, young and old, passing their proficiency test to start training for their Bronze Medallion and Surf Rescue Certificate. After churning their way through a 400m swim in under 9 minutes, this squad got down and sandy to learn how to perform a tube rescue, a board rescue, a rescue with a spinal board, carries for conscious and unconscious patients, signals, radio call signs, and CPR.
To top it all off, they kicked up the sand and battled the ocean some more to achieve their 200m/200m/200m run-swim-run in under 8 minutes. It was a team effort, with every member ahead inspiring those in their wake. If you can imagine a peloton in water, this was it. The camaraderie didn’t end there though. From bottoms in faces while riding boards, to post-lunch breath shared over CPR techniques, to lying face down in the water and trusting team-mates to lift you out correctly, everyone got a whole lot closer!
This includes 11 coaches and assistant coaches who will join our existing 10 Bronzies to lead our Nippers age groups this season, as well as 2 very dedicated Nipper participants from the U14 age group who are going for their Surf Rescue Certificate. Owen Van der Werff and Astrid Kowald-Linsley are living proof of what can be achieved through Nippers. As our older Nipper participants they will soon graduate to assisting some of our younger age groups and hopefully they can go on to learn some more advanced Surf Life Saving.
There’s no rest for the wicked though. This squad will be swotting hard this week to learn how to deal with all sorts of bites, stings, cuts, impacts, and all sorts of medical conditions to pass their First Aid. Then its assessment time all weekend to see if they can pull off a mass rescue.
What’s it all for? With year round warm weather, who wouldn’t want to learn how to be safer, smarter and happier at the beach. Get involved in Nippers, fun surf lifesaving activities for kids, and sign up for the new season here. There are still spaces left in some age groups, but get in quick as a fish.
