NIPPERS FULL OVERVIEW

Registration for U7-U9 and Starfish Nippers will open at 10:00am on Monday 4 September. Registration for U10-U13 will open at 10:00am on Wednesday 6 September.

Nippers registration is $200 per participant. Starfish Nippers registration is $95.

Age groups are determined by your age as at 30 September 2023. For example, if you are 10 on 30 September 2023, then you will be in the U11 age group for Nippers this season.

The accreditation swim allows our water safety team to assess your child’s ability before participating in water-based activities. They can only participate in beach activities if they don’t satisfactorily complete the accreditation swim.

Upon satisfactorily completing the accreditation swim, your child will receive a coloured wristband which must be worn each day of the Nippers program. No wristband = no water-based activities, no exceptions.

Yes, the accreditation swim is a prerequisite for participating in our Nippers program for all ages (U/7 to U/13).

If you are unable to attend the accreditation swim, your child will need to be separately assessed during the Nippers program, based on availability of water safety staff and at the discretion of the beach manager. That may not always occur on the second day of the program so please make every effort to attend on 27 December.

No. You get your Nippers bag when you have successfully completed the accreditation swim. If you cannot do the accreditation swim on 27 December, you will need to do your accreditation swim before you participate in the water-based elements of the Nippers program. Once you have successfully completed the accreditation swim, you will be given a wristband and can collect your bag from the Nipper admin desk.

No. Forms signed from swim school teachers are not accepted. As noted above, if you cannot make the accreditation swim, your child will need to be separately assessed during the Nippers program, based on availability of water safety staff and at the discretion of the beach manager.

Nippers packs will be available for collection at the accreditation swim on 27 December. 27 December is your best opportunity to change the size of your child’s rashie.

All participants must wear Portsea SLSC swimming togs. These can be purchased from Swimwear Galore in Sorrento. Portsea SLSC jammers are only available from the Portsea SLSC shop. If your child wears a wetsuit, the Portsea rashie (from the Nippers pack) must be worn over the top of the wetsuit.

Starfish Nippers is a modified and structured Nippers program for young people of all abilities, designed to build confidence in beach and water safety awareness. The program demonstrates a community commitment to inclusion and diversity and will involve games and activities on the beach and in the water. The program will be run entirely by Portsea SLSC volunteers including those with specialised skills and experiences in working with children with a disability.

The Starfish Nippers program is designed for young people aged 6 years and above with a disability, including physical and intellectual disabilities and/or learning difficulties. The program can be modified to suit an individual participant’s needs so that everyone can be included.

Yes, for safety reasons, our Nippers program is capped at 15 participants.

More information can be found here.

Modified Nippers beach and water activities such as games, running, signals, beach flags, wading, swimming, and boards.

You can apply for a refund if you withdraw from Nippers before 8 December 2023. Please contact nippers@portseasurf.com.au.

Once the program has commenced, no refunds will be provided.

Please contact our Nippers Administrator, Bridget Smith, at nippers@portseasurf.com.au.