Skills Maintenance (Proficiencies)

All Club members who hold a Surf Life Saving Australia Award must undergo annual skills maintenance (formerly known as a proficiency).  These checks are necessary to:

• Ensure ongoing competency of members in their area of training and activities.
• Maintain the standards of knowledge and expertise of surf life savers.
• Satisfy legal and statutory requirements.
• Reinforce and maintain our service commitment to the bathing and beach going community.

A member’s proficiency is valid until 31st December each year unless stated otherwise in Surfguard (ie First Aid (AID) has a three year proficiency requirement, SMBM has no proficiency requirement).  Members who are not proficient as at 31st December are not permitted to patrol, or compete in any SLSA competition, until they have obtained the required proficiency.  Members who have not renewed for the current season by 31st October each year will be archived in Surfguard.

Proficiencies for the 2025/2026 Season

Surf lifesaving clubs are responsible for ensuring that their members maintain their skills to the minimum standard set by Surf Life Saving Australia.  The guiding principle for skills maintenance is that surf lifesaving clubs must be able to meet their service level agreements with confidence in the lifesaving skills and abilities of their active patrolling members.

Each year there is a theory component including industry updates that have occurred within the previous 12 months.  Pre-season updates are available by viewing the 2025/2026 Pre Season Information Pack.

Members are encouraged to complete the theory component online, and this is available in the eLearning platform of the Members Area Account:

1. Log into Hub (previously Members) area account – https://hub.sls.com.au
2. Select ‘eLearning’ from menu
3. Click ‘Login to eLearning’
4. Click ‘Training Library’
5. Click on the ‘SLS Skills Maintenance’ tile,
6. Click to enrol into the course
7. If you do not complete the entire course in one sitting, click on ‘My Training’ to resume

The wet proficiency for Bronze and SRC (run-swim-rescue, board or tube rescue and scenarios) will be completed on patrol, as well as IRB and ART updates.  Patrol Captains will advise their teams when wet proficiency sessions will take place.

SLS Training Videos 

There are a number of SLS training videos that are available for members to view in preparation for their skills maintenance and for general refresher training. 

Aquatic rescue related: 

• Board Rescue – Conscious Victim  

• Board Rescue – Unconscious Victim

• Board Rescue – In the Break

• Tube Rescue – Conscious Victim      

• Tube Rescue – Unconscious Victim

• Tube Rescue – Double Tube Tow  

• How to put on swim fins  

Lifesaving CPR videos – New! 

• 1 Person DRSABC  

• 1-person Primary Assessment  

• 1 Person CPR  

• 2 Person CPR  

• 3 Person CPR with AED  

• 4 Person CPR  

• Variation on Hand Positions for CPR  

• Cutting Clothes  

• Squeezing BVM  

• Unconscious, breathing patient roll  

• OP airway Insertion  

Lifts and Carries 

• Two-person Carry (trunk and legs)  

• Two-handed Seat Carry  

• Lift from IRB (with assistance)  

• Lift from IRB (without assistance) 

Spinal care related: 

• Spinal walk up – lowers themselves  

• Spinal walk up – assisted to ground  

IRB related: 

• Seated Crewing Position  

• Rise Crewing Position  

• Locked-in Crewing Position  

• Emergency Punch Position  

• Standing Crewing Position  

• Re-boarding the IRB  

• Negotiating Waves