Surf safety: Sites2See. NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre

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Surf Safety

Understanding rips and waves

Everyone who enjoys surfing and swimming at the surf should learn about rips and waves to avoid dangers.

Ripcurrent.com.au1 and Surf Life Saving Australia2 give a summary of rip current safety tips and includes video from Dr Rob Brander from UNSW. In ABC Science, Rip-roaring Time Part 13 and Part 24, Dr Karl talks about rips (text and audio). Use this animated graphic to help understand how the three main components of a rip current interact.

In Science Wire5, Robin Marks explains waves. Find surfcams for Australian beaches on Coastal watch6. Watch Youtube videos; Episode 1 of Dr Rob Brander’s series7, Don’t get sucked into a rip8 and Dangerous waves9. Use Laptop wraps for Stages 4 and 5 on Wave energy10, Wave dimensions11 and Wave power12. (Materials within require DET logon.)

Sany the Shark from the Surf Life Saving Squad, linked to the site13

Surf Life Saving Squad13 teaches children the general knowledge of beach safety with interactive games (roll your cursor over the bottom of the page to see options.) Kids’ corner14 helps children to understand rips with a video and quizzes. Royal Life Saving offers a Water Safety Online Quiz15.

inflatable surfboat being driven through the surf by lifesavers16

Photo by Harvie Allison ©Surf Life Saving Australia

surf board rider riding down the face of a huge wave17

Photo by Shalom Jacobovitz CC BY-SA-3.0

The history of surfing

Surfer and Olympic swimmer Duke Kahanamoku standing on beach with surfboard in Los Angeles, CA.18

Surfer Duke Kahanamoku Los Angelos 1920

The site Surfing for life19 explains the history of surfing20 from Captain Cook to the present.

In Australia, Surf Life Saving Australia16 was first established in NSW in 1907 as the Surf Bathing Association21 of New South Wales.

The science of surfing

Dr Rob Brander’s Science of the surf22 (SoS) is an educational project designed to reduce accidents on the beach, with a survey, beach survival guide and multimedia materials. Paul Doherty explains the physics of surfing23. Find general information about surfing24 or discover the health benefits25.

Bethany Hamilton riding her surfboard26

Photo by Noah Hamilton

Surf culture27 bonds people beyond borders all over the world.

Find surf safety syllabus links for Science and Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE).

Find a Delicious list of aditional resources for this topic and use the email link (right) to make any further suggestions28

Send us links to more resources for Surf Safety and we can add them to the resource

Bookmarking for NSW DET Teachers29

Links

  1. http://www.ripcurrents.com.au/Home.aspx
  2. http://www.sls.com.au/content/essential-guide-understanding-rips
  3. http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2006/01/19/1523944.htm
  4. http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2006/01/26/1523957.htm
  5. http://www.exploratorium.edu/theworld/surfing/makingwaves.html
  6. http://www.coastalwatch.com/templates/default.aspx
  7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv_Sis0Hntk&feature=channel
  8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hCZuYzNujI
  9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmUz_5e1J8o&feature=channel
  10. http://lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au/lrrSecure/Sites/LRRView/11705/index.htm?Signature=(5e070967-5ea8-44a2-9029-c5fdd8eb6341)
  11. http://lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au/lrrSecure/Sites/LRRView/10424/index.htm?Signature=(8a1de6a8-0898-49a7-afe1-74ea685040a5)
  12. http://lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au/lrrSecure/Sites/LRRView/10486/index.htm?Signature=(a5b73510-3a7b-4744-a1db-5c8e4298c370)
  13. http://www.sls.com.au/kidszone
  14. http://www.ripcurrents.com.au/Fun-Learning/Kids-Corner.aspx
  15. http://www.watersafetyquiz.com.au/
  16. http://www.sls.com.au/
  17. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2010_mavericks_competition.jpg
  18. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Duke_Kahanamoku_1920.jpg
  19. http://www.surfingforlife.com/history.html
  20. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_surfing
  21. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surf_Life_Saving_Australia#History
  22. http://www.scienceofthesurf.com/
  23. http://www.exploratorium.edu/theworld/surfing/physics/index.html
  24. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfing
  25. http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Surfing
  26. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bethany_Hamilton_20070311.jpg
  27. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfing_culture
  28. http://www.delicious.com/CLIsites2see/surf_safety
  29. http://www.curls.edu.au/