Education

Coffs Harbour City Council's professional ocean lifeguards provide various surf education talks within local schools, clubs, groups etc each year.

Some of the programs provided are listed below:

Year 3 & 4 Water Safety Education Program

The purpose of this program is to make students more aware of beach safety and to ensure they know what to do if they get into trouble in the water.

The one-hour talk covers the following topics:

Sun Safety - a breakdown of how important it is to protect yourself from the sun when at the beach.
10 commandments of surf safety - recognition of flags, signs, life savers & lifeguard requests.
River, creek and dam safety when swimming.
Rescue equipment and methods - what to do, how to use it, how to assist life savers.
First Aid - different animals, blue bottles, blue ringed octopus, box jellyfish etc.
Recognition of dangerous conditions - rips, large waves, creek and river mouths, rocks etc.
How to escape from strong currents - rips etc.
Surf skills - surf swimming, catching waves, dolphining.
The onset of panic - what to do if you need to be rescued.

Ocean Safety Surfer Award (OSSA)

OSSA Requirements

Minimum age of 12 years and attending secondary schooling or other vocational/educational centre such as a TAFE college or university
Competency in surf craft riding (either surfboard, body board or wave ski)
Successful completion of the APOLA OSSA program that includes theoretical and practical demonstrations on knowledge, skills and understandings about the inshore coastal environment relating to safe surfing, hazard identification, aquatic rescue, first aid, resuscitation and care and respect for the environment and other surfers.

OSSA was developed in consultation with the School Surfing Association to provide students with safe surfing competencies required for participation in school surfing activity.

General

OSSA programs are designed for delivery by qualified teachers who have a current School Surfing Supervisor Award or higher qualifications, or in the absence of qualified teachers by qualified Professional Ocean Lifeguards who have APOLA instructor qualifications such as Certificate IV in Assessor & Workplace Training
OSSA practical skills including 200m swim, surf mission, simulated rescues, marine hazards identification, patient assessment & resuscitation and simulated emergency management scenarios must be assessed annually.

Practical

Swim 200m (in a 25m to 50m length pool) in a time less than 5 minutes
Demonstrate competency in surf craft riding (either surfboard, body board or wave ski) by paddling, negotiating the wave zone, catching a wave, recovering lost craft and returning to shore
Complete a Surf Mission set as an M shape course commencing with 200m swim, followed by 200m beach run, followed by 200m surf craft paddle and concluding with a 200m beach run demonstrating fitness and competence in negotiating the surf and controlled riding of waves
Demonstrate surf craft rescues using personal surf craft such as: paddle to rescue an unconscious and/or conscious patient; demonstrate patient approach; demonstrate roll over, duck-dive and leg-hook patient pick-up techniques; deep water resuscitation, patient return demonstrating patient care including DRABC assessment and placing patient in recovery position
Identify potential hazards in the marine coastal environment
Demonstrate patient assessment (DRABC) and simulated resuscitation techniques
Participate in simulated emergency management scenarios

Theory

Participate in group discussions, undertake private study, view audio-visual presentations and complete written tasks using worksheets that relate to surfing in coastal environments. Topics include wave and rip formations, weather, beach topography, rock platforms, hazard identification, surfing strategies, rescue, first aid, resuscitation, care and respect for the natural inshore coastal environment and other ocean users.

Resources and References

APOLA, OSSA Teachers Manual, 2005
Classroom Video, Safe Surf, 2002
NSW DET, Excursions Policy (PD/2004/0010/V003), 25 October 2004
NSW DET, Guidelines for the Safe Conduct of Sport and Physical Activity in School, 1999
SLSA, Surf Survival, 1986
Surfing Australia, Safe Surfing Workbook, 2001

Council Lifeguard's also provide an Ocean Safety Awareness Award (OSAA), this award is offered to students that participate in the OSSA program and do not complete all the physical requirements.

In addition, Council Lifeguard's provide awards in School Surfing Supervisor (SSSA) and Ocean Safety Surf Coach Award (OSSCA). Please contact Sonny Tisdell on 0428 285073 for more information on these two awards.

Council lifeguards can also give the talk to interested groups such as Rotary and View Clubs and the talk can be modified to meet the needs of international non-English speaking students or visitors.

For further information or to make a booking contact:

Council's Senior Lifeguard, Sonny Tisdell on 0428 285073.