national surf coach lifesavers award

Each candidate attending a NSCLA course must:

• Be 16-years-old or over at the time of assessment.
• Have a good level of fitness.
• Surface dive to a depth of 1.5 metres.
• Be competent at swimming in the sea.
• Before the course, candidates must be able to swim at least 200 metres in a pool (a recommended length of 25-metres, but not less than 20-metres).
• For the assessment, candidates must be able to swim 300m in a pool in 8 minutes or less using a continuous front-facing stroke and showing urgenc

The National Surf Coach Lifesaving Award aims to be instrumental in developing surf coaches in the UK.

To become a qualified surf coach in the UK, you must initially undertake a suitable lifesaving award before enrolling on the instructor/ coach course.

The NSCLA was developed with support from Surfing England and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RLNI) to ensure surf coaches adopt the highest standards of beach safety.

The NSCLA course length is a minimum of 20 hours, followed by a practical assessment on group management/ supervision, First Aid, Life Support, swimming pool and ocean skills.

Upon qualifying with the NSCLA, the certificate is valid for two years from the date of successful completion.

In some circumstances, candidates may be able to show evidence of prior achievement to exempt themselves from sections of the course. Exceptions may apply to holders of the following awards and qualifications [guided time credits shown in brackets]:

• Current RLSS UK National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) [9 hours]
• Current Regulated First Aid at Work Certificate [7 hours]
• Current RLSS UK National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification (NVBLQ) [12 hours]

Where candidates wish to claim a training exemption, they must provide the course trainer with original qualifications before the start of the course.

You can claim a maximum of 12 hours of accreditation for prior achievement.

We’ve heard this referred to as the NVBLQ’s lesser qualification. However, be under no Illusions, this course is hard work. You will be working on the beach and in the pool to the top of your ability. We make sure that we are satisfied that you are able to  both work within the qualifications parameters and exceed the skill Level required. 

Being a surf coach is physically demanding but very rewarding. 

Please get in touch on the contact us section below if you have any question.