Carnivals | Competitions

Get ready to have fun, make friends, and be part of something special!

Throughout the surf lifesaving season, our Far North Coast Branch runs a series of Junior Carnivals for Nippers aged Under 8 to Under 14.   These carnivals are all about fun, fitness, friendship, and team spirit — whether you love the sand, surf, or both! 💛

Why join carnivals?

• Try exciting beach and water events
• Build confidence and surf skills
• Enjoy the team spirit of relays and cheering each other on
• Make lifelong memories with friends and family
• Learn good sportsmanship and club pride in the blue and yellow Caba cap!

Everyone’s welcome — nippers, youth, masters, and everyone in between.

If you’re keen to compete (or just want to learn more), get in touch with our Carnival Coordinator or chat with your Age Manager/Coach at training. Let’s make this season one to remember!🌞

2025/2026 Carnival Calendar

Event Highlights

Cudgen Water Carnival (U12–Masters) (25 Oct)
 A great day for our older Nippers to shine in the surf and test their water skills!

Beach Series (Rounds 1 & 2) – Cudgen (25 Oct) & Ballina (7 Feb)
 Perfect for beach lovers! Sprints, Flags, and Relays — fun, fast, and full of team spirit. Points from both rounds count toward the Age Group Beach Champion!

JAC Carnivals – Cudgen & Byron Bay (9 & 16 Nov)
 Ideal for trying your first carnival! Friendly competition, fun vibes, and plenty of encouragement.

SIGN UP FOR CUDGEN CARNIVAL (9 NOV) HERE

SIGN UP FOR BYRON CARNIVAL (16 NOV) HERE

Branch Championships – Yamba (13–14 Dec)
 A club favourite! Join relays, cheer on your teammates, and show your Caba pride.
Includes extra events such as Surfboard Riding and 1km or 2km Beach Runs for U11+.

NSW Country Championships – South West Rocks (23–25 Jan)
 One of the most exciting weekends of the year!
Plan ahead for this 3-day event — loads of action, team bonding, and pizza nights for the Caba crew! 🍕💙

NSW State Titles – Swansea Belmont (19 Feb–1 Mar)
 The big NSW one! A chance to compete with the best from across NSW.
Some events require pre-qualification — reach out for details.
Whether you’re racing or cheering, it’s always an unforgettable experience.

Aussie Titles – North KIrra/ Tugun Beach Qld, (21 Mar- 29 March) (U13+-Masters)
 The absolute BIG one! A chance to compete with over 7000 athletes from across Australia.
Some events require pre-qualification — reach out for details.

How to Enter – LiveHeats

This season, entries will be managed through LiveHeats, the new system for Surf Life Saving competition.

Each competitor is required to have a LiveHeats profile. The club will still submit your entry through LiveHeats once you’ve replied to our online registration that will go out prior to each carnival.

There are a few new steps for members who have not competed at carnivals previously:

1️⃣ All members will be issued a LiveHeats profile if they do not already have one.
2️⃣ To claim your profile, you must follow the instructions sent to the email linked to your Surfguard / SLS Members account.
3️⃣ Ensure you’ve created your account using the steps in that email — and please check your junk or spam folders just in case!
4️⃣ If you can’t locate the email, but know the email linked to your Surfguard/SLS Hub accounts, go to https://liveheats.com/forgot-password and reset it directly.
5️⃣ If you’re a parent or guardian linked to more than one athlete, you will receive multiple emails — but you only need to follow the setup steps once. After that, all your children will appear under your account.

Once your LiveHeats profile is created, we can enter you into each carnival you register for.

Carnival entries open 2–4 weeks before each event.

What to Bring!

Uniform: Wear your Pink Racerback and Blue & Gold Carnival Cap. Cabarita Beach Swimsuits if possible. If you don’t have a carnival cap, we’ll have them for sale at the Club for $15.00. We’ll also have Caba Crew Carnival Shirts and Caps.

You will be required to have your Red LIVE Heats Wristband for every carnival to compete. The wristband should work every season. If you do not have one, they will be $5 cash and be available on the day at your first carnival to buy.

💙 A Little Help Goes a Long Way!

As with every sport, our carnivals can’t run without the amazing support of our parent volunteers.
To keep things flowing smoothly and make sure all our Caba families have the best experience, we ask that every family steps up to help — whether that’s as an official, water safety volunteer, or age manager.

It might sound daunting at first, but it’s actually great fun and a fantastic way to meet like-minded people from ours and other clubs — all pitching in to make the day a success!

We’ll send you the appropriate links for the short, easy online course you’ll need to complete before helping out. It only takes a little time, and your effort, even if it is just 1 hour of your time, is hugely appreciated by everyone involved. 🌊