Aussies 2024: 8000 plus, 222 clubs, 504 volunteers at Australian surf life saving titles

They keep us safe all summer. Now more than 8000 volunteer surf life savers are preparing for a different test on the sand and in the surf at an extraordinary sporting event.

It’s an event with an incredible 5km plus of sand and surf race tracks, more than 8000 competitors from 222 clubs competing in 406 different events and overseen by 504 officials.

The 2024 Australian surf life saving championships kick off this weekend with competitors as young as 12-year-old Bronte Brennan from Currumbin racing and then athletes as old as 87-year-old Benjamin Day from Alexandra Headland hitting the beach in following days.

Heading into the second weekend of this iconic event - the biggest in almost two decades - the best life savers under 17, under 19 and open athletes will compete for the most sought after crown in the sport - that of an Australian champion.

“Surf sport is in a very healthy place,” said SLSA general manager of sport Wayne Druery ahead of the biggest event in almost two decades.

The best and brightest in the country competes. .

Since 10,000 competed at Kurrawa back in 2006, numbers dipped but have been creeping back up in recent times to near record levels this year.

“We are running good events and people enjoy it,” Druery said.

“Nearly every event we have run in the last 12 months we have had an increase in competitors.

“The Coolangatta Gold was up 43 per cent and the Nutri-Grain trials were about 10 per cent higher for instance.’’

This massive sporting event - one of the largest and longest in the Southern Hemisphere - has been running since 1915 when the famous Bondi club hosted the inaugural event.

Dedicated volunteers spend hours each day on the beach.

But the idea of the protection of bathers dates back to 1905 according to the national museum of Australia when Manly councils employed two fishermen to patrol.

Druery oversees an enormous team who will run events for surf life saving members for nine long days - with all but a small number of paid staff and contractor volunteers from clubs across Australia.

Redhead and Newcastle athletes after an iron race.

Top ironmen tracing in Perth last year.

They will be part of safety teams, referees, drivers for IRBs and jet skis, act as sectional managers, drone operators, time keepers and ground announcers.

“We could at any time have up to 10 areas of water and beach in operation,’’ he said of the event spread over beaches including the main hub at Maroochydore, Alexandra Headlands, Mooloolaba and Coolum.

Around 1500 youngsters from 12-15 will race the youth event this weekend with more than 2000 competing in the Masters event.

The biggest component is the opens competition - which includes under 17 and under 19s racing, - at 4728 athletes and which culminate next weekend.

This is 33 per cent larger than the last carnival held on the Sunshine Coast in 2021.

Queensland and NSW sport the most competitors across the board with 92 internationals from a range of countries including New Zealand, Japan, UK, France and South Africa also racing.

Read more from AMANDA LULHAM HERE

Originally published as Aussies 2024: 8000 plus, 222 clubs, 504 volunteers at Australian surf life saving titles