irb competition
Our IRB team currently trains every Sunday to ensure that we have a a range of skills to perform at carnivals.Inflatable Rescue Boats or IRBs, were introduced into Surf Life Saving in the 1970s as a means of responding to a rescue situation more efficiently. Since then, the IRB, or as it’s affectionately know “The Duck” has been fully embraced by Surf Life Saving and is now a required piece of rescue equipment at every club in Australia, performing thousands of rescues every year.
The IRB comes into its own in large surf, where time is of the essence and more traditional methods of rescue are more time consuming and risky. A skilled crew can negotiate the break swiftly and rescue several people at once, giving struggling swimmers a much greater chance of survival.
The IRB is also a useful tool in search and rescue, vessel recovery and event supervision of swimmers thanks to its speed, visibility and on board equipment.
SEASON overview
IRB Competition is held every year after the close of the surf life saving summer season, during May to July. IRBs are one of the few items of surf life saving equipment that’s still used for life saving as well as competition. The season is short and sharp with five rounds of competition held across the state over a weekend, culminating in the State Championships (around June/July) and Australian Championships in July, typically in a different state every year.
Each weekend of competition is exciting, the racing is fast and furious, and you get to meet and make friends with like–minded IRB professionals from a very wide range of clubs.
Updates and changes are managed via Team App so sign up for full details, or contact Kate McIntyre, Competition Manager compmanager@oceangroveslsc.asn.au.
FITNESS + COMPETITION
Within Australia, there are five categories of events in competition:
• IRB Rescue: a team of one driver & one crew race out to sea to collect a patient and return to shore;
• IRB Rescue‐Tube Rescue: similar to the IRB Rescue, the crewperson must swim with a tube to collect a patient;
• Mass Rescue– a team of one driver & one crew must collect one patient, return to shore, and head back out to sea to collect a second patient;
• Teams Rescue– similar to the mass rescue, an additional team is incorporated into the event to do a changeover after the first team has collected their patient;
• IRB Relay– is a continuous relay involving each of the events described above.
Fitness
To compete in IRB competition, a level of strength and endurance is required. Training programs are provided through our IRB coaches, who are well experienced in IRB Rescue Racing.
season information
The OGSLSC IRB team had a successful finish to the 2022 Season, including finishing 3rd overall at States and Top 4 in the u23 category. The team came 6th at the Australian Championships at Mollymook.
Formal training typically starts towards the end of the Patrol season, April-May each year. One of the well proven by-products of participating in IRB rescue racing is that your IRB skills, both as a driver and a crew person, will be greatly enhanced. You learn to handle the IRB in all sorts of surf conditions, and you’ll see how other top-class IRB drivers handle the varying conditions. IRB rescue racing, both training and competition, is one of the greatest learning environments you could wish for.
Information on the 2023 season will be announced in due course.
THE TEAM IN ACTION
MAKE A DONATION TO OGSLSC
Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club receives donations from locals and visitors alike, to continue to maintain a safe beach environment for swimmers, surfers and beach goers. With these vital donations we are able to continue to offer our community services, water safety and education programs and provide facilities for our community and memberss.
Every donation you give saves countless lives.
OFFICE HOURS
MONDAY - FRIDAY
9AM - 5PM
Please note, outside of these hours the phone may be answered by volunteers, who may not be able to assist with all enquiries.
Contact US
Phone
(03) 5255 1382
admin@oceangroveslsc.asn.au
Address
Street address: 26-30 Surf Beach Road, Ocean Grove VIC 3226
Postal address (for listing on Working with Children Card): PO Box 486 Ocean Grove VIC 3226