New Brighton Surf Life Saving Club

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The New Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club is the oldest surf lifesaving club in New Zealand having been formed in July 1910. New Brighton SLSC has had a distinguished history as both a lifesaving and a sporting organisation.

New Brighton SLSC is as relevant to the wider Christchurch community today as it was back in 1910. The club continues to provide an invaluable community service in the form of voluntary lifeguard patrols. Every weekend though mid November to March the club puts out is red and yellow flags on the New Brighton beach between the hours of 11am and 5pm giving the pubic a safeguarded place to swim over the summer months. At the end of the season club members will work a combined total of approximately 2000 voluntary patrol hours.

The Club prides itself on being a well rounded service to the community, from offering its voluntary lifeguarding service aswell as offering surf sport and Junior Surf. Surf sport is competition based around the Surf life saving movement were events are designed from the action of rescuing victims or to improve skills lifeguards need to be better lifeguards.

There are many disciplines to cater for everyone’s interest. From swimming events to board or ski paddling as well as events that don’t even require you to get your toes wet such as beach sprints and beach flags events. Off the beach, surf lifesavers are also required to refine their swimming skills in the pool and participate in pool rescue competitions.

Refining lifesaving skills is an important part of Surf Life Saving sport and as such competitions such as Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) racing and Lifesaving Competition are specifically designed to hone a surf lifesaver’s knowledge and skills that they would use in an everyday patrol situation.

When people think of sport competition, one competition springs to mind, and that is the spectacular surf boat competition – a team event like no other in the ocean.

New Brighton SLSC provides a unique opportunity to socialise with a range of different people in both formal and informal situations. The environment of the New Brighton SLSC is family-focused and endeavours to include all members in a safe, fun and strong environment.