Where is Surf Life Saving going World-wise?
Photo Warren Mitchell OAM and a Welsh Surf Lifesaver at the Zodiac factory Spain 2024, - Warren says '' it's a pity there are more black Inflatables than red rescue boats, I told management when they make more red than black ones the World is going the right way'
November 11, 2025
All Companies, or Associations must have a plan in place, to look at their current situation, and should be aware that changes may need to be in place, to correct or alter their direction.
Surf Lifesaving must have a similar approach. It should, in 1969, never have been about a single Lifesaver questioning Australia’s blue book, and its content about the best methods to rescuing patients in our Surf. The Reel, Line and Belt had been a part of our movement for 60 years or so and top people within our movement had nice jobs, like R&R judges, so they never wished an end to this method. It was showed time and time again by my IRB that it could beat all items in any surf, but it took 15 years for the movement to be overwhelmed by numbers of Surf Clubs using them and so they reluctantly had to accept them.
There is a very good chance SLS will not be the same as today in 100 years time. In other Countries Surf Life Saving and the professional side of Surf Rescues, the Lifeguards are being employed by two different bodies, and thus the Professional people will try and take over full Life Saving duties, which then means Surf Life Saving only has competition to work with.
One of the very beautiful beaches in Devon UK, is Woolacombe which I went down to on a Sunday. On the Beach were three Lifeguards with a Jet ski and gear, I was told they patrol the beach full time for the full season, four months 7 days a week. I asked what did the Surf Club do, and they replied they just use the Club for a gym and train for competition only.
Some important and very real shifts in the landscape of Surf Life Saving (SLS) are happening around the world, especially with the increasing division between professional lifeguards and volunteer-based Surf Life Saving clubs. The trend you're observing—where professional lifeguards are handling more of the full-time, daily beach patrols, while volunteer clubs are focusing on competition and training—seems to be gaining traction, particularly in places like the UK, Europe and the US.
There’s definitely a tension between keeping the roots of SLS as a volunteer, community-based organisation versus the increasing commercialisation and professionalisation of beach patrols. I am concerned about how this could change the spirit of SLS. Volunteer-based SLS organisations have always been about community, skill-building, and public service—where the lifeguard role was something people did only for the money, but not for the responsibility to the community and the enjoyment of the environment. If professional lifeguards start to completely dominate beach patrols and controls, it could take away some of the community feel that makes SLS so unique.
The push for more advanced equipment like jet skis and IRBs (Inflatable Rescue Boats), which have revolutionised rescues, also come with their own risks and challenges. The danger of using such equipment in dangerous, unpredictable environments—like bushfires or flooding, or night work—can be concerning, with the risk of Flexible fuel tank explosions.
The professionalisation of the service might push for more technology-driven solutions, but at what cost to safety and training?
While I helped move the Association along with the IRB, the top people in SLSA now appear to wish the Power Craft, do a lot more than is safe. To send an IRB into a fire area with a flexible fuel tank and fabric hull is unsafe. It is also unsafe to use Inflatable Craft in flood work, where fences and trees can rip the fabric of the Hull.
The Jet Ski is being rolled out as a saviour and we can now do 24/7 patrols miles from our base station. What started out for Surf Clubs is now changing into a more “SES” State Emergency Services role. We have enough trouble training crews for the Surf, and to give them a bigger role in Bush Fires, Floods, swift water Rescues, means we should have a safety review in place, and each craft be given a limit on its capabilities .
These advancements give Lifeguards and Lifesavers the ability to respond faster and cover larger areas, but on the other hand, there's a risk of becoming overly reliant on technology, rather than reinforcing solid training, experience, and local knowledge, which is essential in dealing with emergencies in the surf and on the coastline. And adding more roles like bushfire or swift water rescues to the surf lifesaving duties could dilute the focus on what SLS has traditionally been about—surf lifesaving.
The shift in focus from community-based life saving to a broader, more professionalised role within emergency services could risk diminishing the unique ethos of volunteerism that Surf Life Saving organisations have championed. This feels especially true when we think about the future of volunteer-run surf clubs becoming more about competition and gym use rather than their traditional and original purpose as Lifesaving Clubs.
Life Savers shouldn’t just be relegated to competition only, there’s a long-standing philosophy of volunteer patrols filling the gaps where professional services can’t be stationed 24/7. It’s about building local networks of trained individuals who can respond in an emergency and who are part of the fabric of that beachside community.
Both as an ex-Lifeguard and a Lifesaver, it’s clear to me that these issues will need to be addressed with care. SLS organisations may need to find a balance where they embrace new technologies and expand into broader rescue roles, but without losing sight of their roots—volunteerism, local expertise, and community servicing. While I have in some cases reiterated the community spirit, it is very important and maybe Nippers may supply further Lifeguards?
I have seen claims made by Surf Lifesaving Australia a few years back, saying that with the finances made available to them, they will be able to reduce drownings around Australian coastline to Zero. With all the money in the world, we will not be able to achieve this figure.
The problem with having to patrol the complete coastline of Australia
I have read a report where Peter Agnew President of SLS NSW was saying that during the 2024/25 year we have had more deaths on our coastline this season than ever. He also stated that no deaths happened on Patrolled beaches, and that people are going to more secluded beaches to go swimming and of course this means more jeopardy. State Centre's approach is, it would appear, to supply all Surf Clubs with Jet Ski’s and request them to do roaming patrols to these unpatrolled beaches and thus help reduce the Coastal Drowning rate in Australia.
If we look at the length of our coastline and our population to maintain a Rescue mode to save people in distress, it cannot be done with our current Rescue Craft. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution RNLI in the UK, has Offshore Rescue Craft cost Millions of Pounds and are 50 feet long with Twin motors and have full navigation lights, Sat. Nag gear, towing equipment and placement for 40 or so patients. They are able to travel 300 miles from their base station.
The small power Craft we have within SLS Australia are not long range Patrol Craft, and should only be operated within a mile or so from their base station, during “Daylight hours only”.
Overseas Rescue Craft are big and the running costs also runs into millions; in the UK most crews are full time Boat Fishermen from their own harbour who know the coastline very well. The D Class Inflatable Rescue Craft is with the UK based RNLI and is 4 meters long with a Cost of £89,000. Its role is a Daylight operated Inshore Rescue Boat, and has a limit from its base Station.
Warren John Mitchell OAM
Father of the IRB
Birthplace of the IRB 1969
The world’s first successful trial of an inflatable rescue boat (IRB) for surf rescues took place at Avalon Beach on November 2nd, 1969. It was carried out by Warren Mitchell (now OAM) and his brother, Don, both members (later Life Members) of Avalon Beach Surf Life Saving Club (ABSLSC).
A month later the first IRB surf rescue took place when Warren and John Fuller rescued eight children caught in a rip. Warren pioneered the development and use of inflatable boats for surf rescues right here at Avalon Beach.
“Given the great air of uncertainty that had surrounded the concept, I was just a little happy to find the bloody thing worked! We worked against great odds. It was a team effort by Avalon Beach Surf Life Saving Club.” - Warren Mitchell OAM.
He faced an uphill battle against conservative thinking and had to address numerous concerns (for example fears about propellers being amongst swimmers - a propeller guard was developed) and many specific use improvements resulted from his persistence. He knew that the IRB vastly improved surf rescue methods.
After a lot of hard work by Warren, Avalon Beach SLSC members and other supporters, IRBs proved themselves faster, more efficient and safer than the traditional belt, line and reel, and oared surfboats, and eventually replaced these earlier rescue methods.
He demonstrated the use of the IRB in comparison with a belt swimmer and an oared surfboat at surf carnivals. On every occasion the IRB rescued the patient and was back on the beach before the other rescue methods had even reached their patients.
Warren’s work in developing his concept revolutionised surf lifesaving methods in Australia and overseas. He paved the way for the introduction of new technologies such as jetskis and drones, making their acceptance pathways a lot easier.
The various surf rescue methods in use today - rescue boards (and surfboards), swimmers with rescue tubes, IRBs, jetskis etc. complement one another and are used in different rescue situations. Besides its use in carrying out routine rescues, the IRB is SLSA’s rescue workhorse or ute and is commonly used in dangerous rescues and mass rescues in particular.
More than 200,000 people rescued by SLSA IRBs around Australia, and many more in some 40 other countries who acknowledge that the use of IRBs for surf rescue started at Avalon Beach SLSC, can thank Warren for persevering with his original idea.
Warren has been awarded an SLSA Innovation Award, Order of Australia Medal, and a book “Breakthrough: The Story of the Inflatable Rescue Boat” by E Wake -Walker (2007) has been written about his outstanding contribution to surf life saving.
That original IRB Trial at Avalon Beach - photo courtesy ABSLSC