National Surf Coach Lifesaving

£250

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 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.

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Surfing group with Woolacombe Surf Centre

Course Content & Assessment

The NSCLA covers group management and supervision, First Aid, Life Support, and pool and open water skills. The course is physically demanding and includes swimming to set times and lifting. The NSCLA comprises three modules; you must successfully pass all three to qualify.

  • Module 1 – The beach environment, hazards, and supervision
  • Module 2 – Rescue skills in surf environments
  • Module 3 – First Aid and Life support

The NSCLA assessment takes place at the end of the course. It determines your competence, skills, and knowledge of working as a surf coach and assesses your ability to apply the skills and knowledge learnt in a surf environment.

The assessment falls into:

  • Group management, supervision and First Aid theory
  • Life support practical
  • First Aid practical
  • Ocean skills
  • Pool skills
Happy boys learning to surf with Woolacombe Surf Centre

Course Prerequisites

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 urgency.
surf instructor qualification in Woolacombe

Available Course Dates

Awaiting course dates…

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