Surfing Victoria relaunches Surfers Rescue 24/7 Public Courses under COVIDSafe Plan

Surfing Victoria has announced the re-start of Surfers Rescue 24/7 Face-to-Face public courses under a COVIDSafe plan -  a free program that teaches knowledge and skills around how to spot people in trouble in the water, how to rescue them safely using board rescue techniques and administering basic First Aid including CPR and defibrillation -all delivered in a condensed and easy to understand format.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, all Surfers Rescue courses were put on hold in March. However with the easing of restrictions in Victoria these sessions have now resumed.

Surfing Victoria Chief Executive, Adam Robertson advises “the Surfers Rescue 24/7 program is a vitally important part of keeping beaches safe over summer.

“This will be particularly critical in 2020 after the lockdowns as people look to head on holidays within the state. Couple this with beach goers heading to unpatrolled beaches, and surfers will become the first responders to many incidents across beaches in Victoria.”

The programs will be held under Surfing Victoria’s COVID-19 Risk Management Strategy that will see no sharing of equipment, reduction in class sizes, QR Code Check in and adequate space for social distancing.

Surfing Victoria and URBNSURF have also announced that they are teaming up to deliverer Surfers Rescue 24/7 courses at Australia’s first ever Wave park at Tullamarine in Melbourne and add “getting the chance to run some Surfers Rescue 24/7 courses at URBNSURF is an amazing opportunity.

“It will be incredible to be able to use the pool to simulate the ocean and test some rescue techniques in a controlled environment.”

The program that was initially developed by Surfing NSW was piloted in Victoria and has since expanded to all areas of the state.

Upcoming dates for face-to-face programs include:  

29th November 2020 – Surfing Victoria Head Office, Torquay

13th December 2020 – Surfing Victoria Head Office, Torquay

16th December 2020 – URBNSURF Melbourne, Tullamarine

10th January 2021 – Surfing Victoria Head Office, Torquay

24th January 2021 – Surfing Victoria Head Office, Torquay

21st February 2021 – Surfing Victoria Head Office, Torquay

24th February 2021 – URBNSURF Melbourne, Tullamarine

7th March 2021 - Surfing Victoria Head Office, Torquay

21st March 2021 - Surfing Victoria Head Office, Torquay

 For more information and to book go to www.surfingvic.com  

For those who are unable to attend a session, the Surfers Rescue 24/7 Course can also be completed online via www.surfersrescue.training