Entries are now open for the exciting new event, Gatorade Battle of the Paddles.

The inaugural Gatorade Battle of the Paddles will be held on Hamilton Island from June 14 – 18, in partnership with Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) and the Australian Outrigging Canoe Association (AOCRA).

Australian surf lifesavers will join The Queen on the Thames for the Diamond Jubilee Pageant on Sunday 3 June, the Australian High Commission reveals today.

Nine surfboats crewed by Australian surf lifesavers will be among the 1,000 vessels in the river-borne celebration of Her Majesty’s 60-year reign.  Participants from the nation that invented surf lifesaving will take to the water ahead of the Royal Barge, The Spirit of Chartwell, on which The Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and members of the Royal Family will be aboard.

Ray Brennan, William Jamieson AFSM and Robert Welch OAM were awarded Life Membership of Surf Life Saving Australia at the annual Life Members dinner on Thursday 29 March.

Volunteer surf lifesavers from across NSW have taken down the red and yellow flags for the last time this season with ANZAC Day the final patrolling day.

The 2011/12 season was another busy one with more than eight million people visiting NSW beaches. Drowning deaths continue to be a major concern with 33 lives lost so far this financial year.

President of Surf Life Saving NSW, Tony Haven, says this figure, which is significantly higher than last year, would be even higher without the vigilance of surf lifesavers.

Volunteer surf lifesavers from across the state will take down the red and yellow flags for the last time when the NSW patrol season officially ends on ANZAC Day, Wednesday 25 April, 2012.

The 2011/12 season was another busy one with more than eight million people visiting NSW beaches. Drowning deaths continue to be a major concern with 33 lives lost so far this financial year.

Newcastle and Central Coast sprint kayak squads

The Next Wave, SLSA’s Talent ID program, with support from Australian Canoeing (AC) is searching for surf athletes with the potential to become our next Olympian. Surf ski athletes are being targeted to transfer their skills to sprint kayaking and enter the AC’s high performance pathway through their National Elite Development Program (NEDP).

Dear fellow surf lifesavers,

You would all be aware of the tragic incident that occurred last Wednesday at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships at Kurrawa.

We are farewelling Matthew Barclay at a funeral service in Caloundra today. We will be grieving beside Matthew’s family, his Maroochydore club mates and the broader Surf Life Saving membership.

Courtesy of the Sunshine Coast Daily

4th April 2012: SUNSHINE Coast lifesavers and supporters of lifesavers are being urged to turn out in force to celebrate the life of Matthew Barclay at Caloundra tomorrow.

Marochydore Surf Lifesaving Club president Tim Ryan said the celebration of Matt's life would be an opportunity for the whole Coast to show its support for the lifesaving movement here.

Manly’s London bound Olympian Naomi Flood and rising star Devon Halligan have spearheaded Manly to golden day at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships at North Kirra today.

Flood won five gold medals from five starts in the single ski; double ski with Candice Falzon; the mixed double ski with Blake Ballard; the Taplin with Falzon and Halligan and the ski relay with Falzon and Sarah Knapman.

AAP: Surf lifesaving’s family came together this morning to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of Maroochydore competitor Matthew Barclay who died while competing at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships at Kurrawa last Wednesday.

Thousands of club members from around the nation gathered on the Kurrawa sand this morning for a memorial service for the 14-year-old who went missing during an under-15 board race.

His body was found by searching fellow lifesavers near the competition venue on Thursday morning.

Hayley Bateup looked to be coasting as she ran to the finish line to comfortably win the 2012 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships’ first open ironwoman semi-final in half-metre surf at North Kirra today.

Bateup, who led throughout, beat home Mooloolaba’s Kelly-Ann Perkins and Rebecca Creedy, of Met Caloundra to seal her place in tomorrow’s final, which she knows will be her toughest race this season.