Surf Rescue Certificate

U14 SRC Course - Become a cadet at Coolum SLSC

Each season, usually in the September school holidays, Coolum Beach Surf Life Saving Club hold a Surf Rescue Certificate course for the U14s. This course transitions kids who have finished nippers to become cadets and allows them to join one of our 16 life saving patrols. We also invite U14 participants who have nipper experience in other clubs or possess strong surf and surf craft handling skills to join our club and take part in the course.

As this is an intensive course it's not suited to those without good basic ocean skills and a level of confidence in the surf.

This course has been offered for many years at Coolum and previous graduates have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The kids are challenged, bond as a group, learn many new skills as well as become part of an amazing community volunteer lifesaver tradition which has been keeping our beaches safe for over 100 years.

U14 SRC Course event

The U14 SRC course is run by our team of qualified volunteer trainers across 3 days with 1 or 2 additional assessment sessions later in the week. Some years this course is held as a camp otherwise the event is offered through the day in the clubrooms.

If we are able to offer the camp option participants and volunteer supervisors stay 3 nights at camp with a mix of intensive training, course theory, and downtime activities. If the camp option is not possible participants attend the course through the day at the club including a few fun downtime activities but return home at night.

Find out more about the Surf Rescue Certificate course.

Who can attend the course?

To attend the U14 SRC course participants need to:

be 13 on the 30 September or the date of the final assessment.
be confident in the ocean - swimming and using surf craft.
register as a member of Coolum Beach Surf Life Saving Club.
complete the required pool swim of 200m in under 5 minutes.

How much does the course cost?

In previous years the cost of the camp has been subsidised by the Coolum Surf Club and the fees have been around $110-$130 for U14 SRC course participants. This cost covers training, food, accommodation (if relevant), patrol uniform, and downtime activities.

Please note this cost estimate is exactly that and many variables need to be taken into consideration each season. For the exact fee for this year complete the form below.

Example of a course schedule

This an example only, each course schedule is slightly different depending on the trainer and assessor availability.

Sunday afternoon/evening prior to the course start - participant and parent briefing at the clubhouse - during this session the trainer will go through what is expected throughout the course as well as an outline of how the week will go, important paperwork will need to be signed by both parents and participants and volunteer requirements will be outlined. During this session, an induction to the SRC course will be carried out also. Allow a couple of hours for this meeting.
Monday morning (6 am-ish) - pool swim carried out + breakfast and travel to camp/clubhouse for course start. Training throughout the day.
Tuesday - course training
Wednesday - course training
Thursday - pack up (if at camp)
Friday, Saturday or Sunday - final assessment at Coolum Beach SLSC (timing depends on assessor availability)

IMPORTANT - Participants are required to attend all scheduled activities including the info briefing to successfully complete the SRC course. This is a very intensive training schedule which is designed specifically for the U14 age group.