Surf Life Saving catches a good wave in Mangalore
Mangalore: More than 40 students of Mangalore Surf Association and Surf life saving academies introduced to the city, their newly learnt knowledge on life saving using rescue boards and rescue tubes. In a bid to establish the first Surf Life Saving club in India, Mangalore Surf Club organized a surf life saving demonstration at Thannirbhavi Beach on Sunday, 21 May.
Mangalore Surf Club is affiliated to International Life Saving Society through Rashtriya Life Saving Society, India and support from Coogee Minows Club from Sydney, Australia. This form of beach life saving is being conducted all over the globe in order to train local public including children about hazards in the sea and give them a confidence boost to save victims in distress.
In a span of three hours, the trainers of Mangalore Surf Club performed demonstrations of surf life saving and provided first-hand experience of Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on a dedicated dummy. Apart from life saving exercises, several agility improvement techniques were also taught to the children in the form of interactive games.
“Surf Life Savers, and the young ones addressed as ‘Nippers’ is all about learning new skills, gaining confidence and at the same time, having fun at the beach. Nippers gain confidence by passing the tests of swimming, board paddling, beach sprinting, duck-diving onto an oncoming wave, spotting a rip in the sea, having fun at the beach with new friends and discovering more about their selves”, said Partha Varanashi, the Director of Surf Life Saving, India.
He went to on say, “Skills learnt at SLS is inseparable for a lifetime. The youth of today are the future of Surf Life Saving and the ones who learnt the skills allow them to continue their love for surfing as well as lifesaving even as they grow older. Moreover, it is not hard work at all. We at SLS, call it serious fun as it is a great way for children to make friends, be active and enjoy the beach in a safe manner.”
The foundation stone for SLS has been laid by Partha and his associate Niroop G R while the Mangalore Surf Club has made the distant dream of establishing a surf life saving institute in Mangalore, a reality.
Today’s demo was run through Mangalore Surf Association and sponsored by A.K Bansal group.
Report By: Rajath Rao