It all kicks off at the Club: Sun 15 Nov 10am.

And runs till Sun 7 Mar except for:



• Sun 22 Nov 10am: Pool Swim Assessment Day (pool TBC). All athletes U6+ to attend. Exceptions - athletes enrolled in Pool Rescue Training 2026, Winter Craft Programme 2026, or who competed at Oceans 2025. These athletes can go straight to the Club ready to start at 10am.
• Sun 27 Dec and Sun 3 Jan: No Junior Surf - Xmas break.
• Sun 31 Jan: No Junior Surf - Auckland Anniversary Weekend.
• Sun 7 Feb: No Junior Surf - we are hosting a massive two-day Surf Boat Spectacular including international teams! Come along and watch in awe!!

Other key events

• Sun 20 Dec: Xmas Junior Surf with a very special visitor. How will he arrive this year? Sleigh, jetski, IRB, or surfboard (just laying the challenge!)? 🎅
• Thur 25 – Sun 28 Feb: Oceans Festival (the national Junior Surf Lifesaving Sport Festival), Papamoa Beach Surf Lifesaving Club. Junior Surf is still on but we’d welcome your support for our U11 - U14’s on Saturday - come watch the action!
• Sun 7 Mar: Waihī Beach Junior Surf Club Champs and Prize Giving U6-U14.
• Plus our rookies, lifeguards, powercraft drivers and crews, and patrol support are going to give you hands on demos of what's next after Junior Surf - date TBC!

Are you 12 or 13 this season?

The Rookie Lifeguard Programme gives you practical experience in rescue skills, first aid, radio use and patrol support while building confidence and friendships. It is designed to help prepare young members for the pathway towards becoming a qualified surf lifeguard from age 14 and is heaps of fun!

Sign up when you register for Junior Surf or watch this space for more info!

Junior Surf at Waihī Beach is powered by whānau. Parents, grandparents and older siblings are all welcome to help. Be it set up, head counts in and out the water, BBQ'ing, photos (we'd love some drone footage!), Team Mum/Dad at carnivals, or stepping into coaching, we would love you to get involved.



Just flick us an email and let us know how you’d like to help and we’ll be in touch.

Surf carnivals and competitions rely on volunteer officials to keep events safe, fair and running smoothly. It is a great way to get closer to the action, learn more about surf sport, support our athletes, have fun and make heaps of friends across the wider surf lifesaving community. We have a strong number of officials across the club and we all share the load so there is no expectation of doing every comp.

You do not need to be a former competitor or already know all the rules. Surf Life Saving New Zealand provides training and a development pathway for new and experienced officials. The formal Level 1 course is open to current surf club members aged 16+, and includes online learning followed by a practical session.

Upcoming course dates:

Sat 15 Aug 10-12pm Level 1 (Muriwai) - details here or if you want to attend more locally just let us know and we'll contact you when the next one goes live.

Fantastic to see 15 Waihī Beach athletes competing at the recent BOP Pool Rescue Development Meet, an opportunity organised by Eastern Region SLSNZ to 'have a go' without the pressure of official times and disqualifications.

Many thanks to Coach Dan, official Dougal, manager Mari and to the parents for feeding the troops and making sure that they were race ready.

We are looking forward to seeing you all in action in Gisborne at ER Pool Rescue Championships.

Keep an eye on our socials for updates from the pool!

Some of our upcoming Senior athletes have been fine tuning their paddling skills prior to hitting the ocean come summer, with a good number intending to enter the 'Cam to Ham' in September.

Want to get involved? Speak to your fellow athletes and hook up with a local paddling club.

Max and Monty are shown here giving it a go at Bay of Plenty Paddling Club on Wairoa River, Te Puna.

And talking paddling, we have a new double ski on the way!

A huge thank you to our Calf Fundraiser supporters. We have confirmed the order of a brand new Race One double ski, in Waihī Beach colours (of course!).

Surf Life Saving New Zealand has recently entered into a strategic partnership with Friendly Manager, providing clubs with complimentary access to the platform including management and communication tools. 

• Management: you will notice we have switched to Friendly Manager for online registration. SLSNZ is supporting us with this transition. Contact the office if you have any issues and we will be happy to help.
• Communication: for now, it is business as usual. We are currently assessing the functionality of Friendly Manager and whether it meets the needs of our athletes, families, coaches, and volunteers. Should we decide to make any changes in the future, plenty of notice will be provided to ensure a smooth transition for everyone.

Are you in the (right) loop? (All links end of the newsletter)

• Communications for Junior Surf families: via email, our regular email Surf Lifesaving Sport newsletters, and our Junior Surf Facebook page.
• Communications for Pool Rescue families/Masters: via Heja.
• Communications for U11+ families enrolled in Winter Craft / Supplementary Summer Training / Masters: via Heja.
• Club news: check out Facebook, Instagram and our monthly club newsletter (subscribe here).

Get Heja

Download the Heja App from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and join our team "Waihi Beach Surf Sport" using the code: PC-549727.

We know there is plenty of interest in our Head Coach role as we prepare for the season ahead. We want to reassure members that the recruitment process is actively underway, and we are committed to finding the right person to lead and support our athletes, coaches, and wider sporting programme.

We'll share an update with the club community as soon as we have news to announce.

We know a few of you are heading to Pool Rescue Champs, and some took on the Cam to Ham and the Mount Monster last season — who’s lining up again this year?

Are surf boats or IRBs on your radar? We’ll be doing a spotlight on both next newsletter so watch this space...

Check out the season calendar below, start making plans and keep us in the loop! 

Current training opportunities:

Masters swim on Monday 6:30pm and Tuesday 6pm at Fastlanes Hamilton.

Plus Christiaan paddles every Sunday, alternating between karapiro and Waihi Beach at 8:30am.

Contact Christiaan if you want to join the Masters What's App group. All welcome!

Spotted at the Polar Plunge

A few of our Surf Lifesaving Sport whānau braved the cold at this year’s Polar Plunge.

Thanks to everyone who got behind the event, whether you took the plunge, provided lifeguard cover, helped with registration or supported the day in another way, we appreciate your support.