With big crowds expected on beaches as summer surf season gets underway, Ingenia Holiday Parks is partnering with Surf Life Saving NSW to host ‘Surf Safety Sessions’ these school holidays (Saturday 24 September to Sunday 9 October).
Kicking off a 16-destination roadshow powered by Apollo motorhomes, the surf safety series will launch at Byron Bay Surf Life Saving Club on Saturday 24 September.
Launch activities will include a ribbon cutting for the custom surf safety-skinned motorhome before it hits the road, interactive activities designed to reinforce the surf safety message for holiday park guests and the wider community, followed by a community barbecue.
Ingenia Holidays General Manager Tourism Matthew Young said the ‘Surf Safety Sessions’ would give families the opportunity to learn surf safety in a fun and interactive way, while providing a timely reminder of the need to take care at our beaches over the summer period.
“As we approach summer and the Christmas and New Year holiday period, we’re expecting higher than normal numbers at our Parks with guests enjoying our pool and beach amenities,” Mr Young said.
“Most of Ingenia’s resorts and parks are situated on the beach, so providing guests with the tools to enjoy the beach safely, comfortably and fully aware of the risks is important to us.”
The ‘Surf Safety Sessions’ are designed to help kids recognise lifeguards and lifesavers, identify hazards at the beach including dangerous sea creatures and rips, while emphasising the importance of sun safety and Surf Life Saving’s message to ‘swim between the flags’.
“These Surf Safety Sessions will help kids with their confidence, while having lots of fun meeting local lifeguards on the beach, dressing up in lifeguard uniforms and learning how to ‘Slip Slop Slap Seek Slide’,” Mr Young said.
“With the new patrol season having commenced on Friday 23 September, there is no better time to host these fun and interactive Surf Safety Sessions than ahead of the busy summer period.
“The team will be making their way down the Coast in a custom surf safety skinned vehicle, so be sure to give it a wave or stop by the beach if you see it.”
With individual coastal visitations in NSW exceeding 200 million in the 2020/2021 patrol season, Australian Lifeguard Service (NSW) Lifeguard Michael Crisp said the ‘Surf Safety Sessions’ would increase guest safety and help ingrain a safety mentality with families at the park.
“Eighty per cent of the Australian population resides on the coast however, not all of us know how to read the ocean and know when it’s dangerous,” Mr Crisp said.
“As we head into summer, it’s important to remind people to be safe, to think safe and to act safe.
“During the summer period, we see a huge increase in people visiting coastal communities outside of their local government areas and places they’re not familiar with.
Surf Life Saving NSW CEO, Steven Pearce ASFM said, “Working with Ingenia Holiday Parks is a fantastic opportunity for the Australian Lifeguard Service and Surf Life Saving NSW to increase guest safety at beaches all over NSW and deliver that safety message to kids in particular in a fun and practical way.
“We’re excited to continue our partnership with Ingenia Holiday Parks by expanding these Surf Safety Sessions to 13 additional locations across NSW following our successful three-park trial last November.”
To find out more about the ‘Surf Safety Sessions’, visit https://www.ingeniaholidays.com.au/surfsafety
