How I Became a Surf Life Saving Trainer – And Why It Changed More Than My Weekends

Here’s the thing no one tells you before you sign up for the Surf Life Saving Trainer course: you think you’re just going to learn how to run a Bronze Medallion class. By the end, you’ve changed how you explain, teach, and even watch the beach.

I’m Brodie. I’ve been a patrolling member at North Avoca SLSC for 5 years. Last season I decided to do the SLSA Trainer accreditation, and now I’m running my own candidates.

We are a small education team at North Avoca, and the club needed IRB trainers as well. We were relying on one qualified IRB trainer in our club, and she was getting burnt out. If I wanted the standard to stay high, I had to step up.

It’s not just a weekend and a certificate.

The SLSA Trainer course. That’s where it gets practical. You deliver micro-teaches in front of other candidates and assessors. Mine was on doing signals. I thought I knew it like the back of my hand until I had to teach it to people who had no idea what signals were and I had to do it in 30 mins on the dot.

You get torn apart, in a good way. “Your intro was too long.” “You didn’t check for understanding.” “Slow down when you demo.” You realize how much you’d been doing on autopilot as a patroller.

Letting go of “just show them how I do it”.

As a patroller, you’re fast and decisive. As a trainer, you have to slow down, explain the why, check that they’ve got it, and let them make mistakes in a safe environment. I had to stop jumping in and fixing things for candidates. Hardest 3 weeks of my life.

Also, paperwork. Learning outcomes, session plans, assessment mapping. It’s boring, but it’s what keeps the training nationally recognized and legally sound.

1. I see teaching everywhere now. I can’t run a BBQ without breaking the steps down into “prepare, cook, check temp, serve.”

2. My own skills got sharper. Teaching CPR made my CPR better. Explaining radio procedures made me use the radio better on patrol.

3. It’s the most rewarding thing I do at the club. Watching a nervous 15-year-old nail their first IRB rescue because you broke it down right – that beats any rescue I’ve done.

You need to be a current financial member, hold your Bronze, and have patrolled for at least 2 seasons. Beyond that, you just need to be okay with being uncomfortable for a while. You’ll feel like a beginner again.

Talk to your club’s Chief Training Officer. They’ll know when the next course is running and can put you in contact with a mentor. (email education@naslsc.com.au)

For me, becoming a trainer meant I stopped just being a pair of hands on the beach. I’m now part of why the next generation is ready when the whistle blows.

If you love SLS and you’re ready to give more than just patrol hours, do it. The beach needs good trainers as much as it needs good guards.