Surf clubs

Official surf clubs are affiliated with Surf Life Saving Australia or its predecessors, unlike unofficial surf clubs such as the once popular women's surf clubs.

Around 1907, the surf lifesaving movement began formalising to provide safety for surf bathers. Initially, women could join the surf clubs and do the exams for the bronze surf lifesaving medallion needed to qualify for full membership of any surf club affiliated with the surf lifesaving association. Later, women were excluded from the bronze medallion exams.

During the 1920s, the surf lifesaver took over from the drover and the digger as the image of the archetypal Australian hero.

In the early 1920s, the name of the peak surf lifesaving body changed from the Surf Bathing Association of New South Wales to the Surf Lifesaving Association of New South Wales, and then two years later, in 1923, the Surf Lifesaving Association of Australia formed. By 1924, it was agreed that the SLSA patrolled all the nation's popular surf beaches while the Royal Life Saving Society limited its lifesaving patrols to protected waters.

Surf clubs were involved in the development of many ocean pools to provide swim training facilities for their members and offer safe swimming alternatives for the general public at dangerous surf beaches. Lifesavers often served as inspectors at ocean baths as well as at the surf beaches. Surf clubs held competitions at the ocean baths, often drew their membership from swimming clubs and some helped to establish swimming clubs and winter swimming clubs at the ocean pools. A surf club at Port Kembla once raised funds by selling refreshments at the Port Kembla Olympic pool.

Surf clubs now have junior members known as nippers, and since 1980,  female members at all levels.

Women's surf clubs
These clubs were not affiliated with the surf lifesaving association but often worked closely with mainstream men-only surf clubs.

In the 1940s, the women's surf club at Black Head on the mid-north coast had its club house near the ocean baths.

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