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Surf lifesaving is a competitive surf sport in which the competitions consist of performing various tasks performed by lifeguards on the beach. The sport originated in Australia in the early 20th century. It is extremely popular in Australia and New Zealand, and also has some minor presence in Canada and Europe.

Most competitions for the sport are conducted by surf lifesaving clubs. Competitions are regularly conducted as a part of surf carnivals in which athletes from different clubs compete against each other.

The competitions consist of various beach rescue type of events. Events include a combination of swimming, board riding, surf skiing, mock rescue tasks using surf boats, surf boat racing, and sand running. Most races are for teams, but there are also some individual races conducted.

a surf lifesaving parade at the strat of competition

Several types of sure lifesaving competitions are conducted, of which the Ironman Surf Lifesaving competition is the most popular. The other types of races conducted are, Long boat rescue, Rescue & Resuscitation, Beach Sprints, Beach Relays, Beach Flags, Champion Lifesaver and Patrol Competition, First Aid Competition.

Several state level and national level competitions are conducted in Australia every year, in which various clubs from the country compete. The Australian Surf Life Saving Championships is the most popular competition conducted for the sport.

The World Games is another popular competition that features several sports, including Lifesaving.

Lifesaving at the World Games

Lifesaving is one of the popular sports at the World Games, and it is done in the pool, on the beach, and in the ocean. It consists of different disciplines, intended to demonstrate lifesaving skills, fitness and motivation.

This sport was first featured at the 1985 London World Games. Then, it featured in subsequent competitions, such as the 1989 Karlsruhe World Games, 1993 The Hague World Games, the 1997 Lahti World Games, the 2001 Akita World Games, the 2005 Duisburg World Games, the 2009 Kaohsiung World Games, the 2013 Cali World Games, the 2017 Wroclaw World Games, the 2022 Birmingham World Games, and the 2025 Chengdu World Games.

The pool competition is a timed competition. Athletes swim as fast as possible from one end of the pool to the other, completing the pre-defined distance. However, some events require the athletes to swim underwater and surface with a manikin, which is taken from the floor of the pool.

Some of the events featured at the World Games include Manikin Carry (with and without fins), Manikin Tow, Rescue Medley, Super Lifesaver, and Relays.

Here are the medalists who won gold at the end of this event:

Similar Sports

• Ironman Surf lifesaving — combines four major aspects of surf lifesaving into a single race
• Surfboat Rowing — a team of riders competes using surfboats on a course out and back through the surf.
• Beach Flags — a surf lifesaving sport in which competitors race in the sand to collect a flag.
• Surfing — participants stand on a surfboard, and use the waves for propulsion
• Paddleboarding — a person kneels on a board and uses their arms to propel themselves through the water.

Related Pages

• sport in Australia
• Lifesaving - a demonstration sport at the Olympics
• Complete list of sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports — a list of every sport from around the world.

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