Beach Lifeguard Service

Bombo beach surf waves

Lifeguard skills and duties

Our Professional Ocean Lifeguard's skills and duties include:

  • accurately assessing beach conditions
  • choosing suitable swimming locations
  • providing advice and regulatory beach signage
  • performing rescues and providing first aid
  • advising and enforcing local Council law
  • preparing and delivering surf education to schools and residents
  • liaising with other rescue and emergency organisations
  • providing beach and water surveillance
  • maintaining and using tower surveillance systems.

Our Lifeguards are experienced in the use of:

  • rescue boards and tubes
  • personal water rescue craft (jet ski)
  • whistles and public address systems
  • four-wheel drives and quad bikes
  • two-way communication
  • oxygen/first aid
  • defibrillators
  • spinal stabilisation equipment.

Facts

  • All our lifeguards are members of the Australian Professional Ocean Lifeguard Association (APOLA). They are highly qualified and undertake a rigorous assessment
    process every year.
  • We employ over 20 Professional Ocean Lifeguards every beach season.
  • Our Professional Ocean Lifeguards are paid as professional staff and wear nationally-recognised blue and white APOLA Lifeguard uniforms.
  • Over 400,000 people visit our 7 patrolled beaches annually.
  • Our Professional Lifeguards perform over 100 rescues each year.
  • Over 9000 preventative actions are carried out each year. These include public address warnings, verbal warnings and signage displayed on beaches.
  • Council's annual Lifeguard recruitment takes place in August every year. Expressions of interest are open year-round by contacting our Supervising Beach Lifeguard on

Other services 

We can provide a Professional Ocean Lifeguard patrol service outside of specified patrol times on a fee-for-service basis.

We also provide a Surf Education Program for schools outside our municipality on a fee-for-service basis. 

Schools or private groups who wish to use our Lifeguard Patrol service should contact our Lifeguard Coordinator on (02) 4232 0444.

 For our Surf Education Program contact our Supervising Beach Lifeguard on 0408 414 967.

Contact

Our Supervising Beach Lifeguard can be contacted on 0408 414 967.