''Surf Patrol, Australia's Lifesavers'' is an Australian
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
series that airs on the
Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
. The series is produced by the Australian production company Cornerbox, the producers of Seven's other factual series ''
The Force
The Force is a metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the '' Star Wars'' fictional universe. "Force-sensitive" characters use the Force throughout the franchise. Heroes like the Jedi seek to "become one with the Force", matching their personal wi ...
'' and ''
Border Security: Australia's Front Line''. The first season was presented by
Simon Westaway
Simon Westaway (born 22 December 1958) is an Australian actor who has appeared in many television series, films and theatre productions. He is most remembered as portraying Sergeant Peter "Noddy" Faithful in the crime drama series ''Phoenix'', ...
, with
Naomi Robson
Naomi Robson (born 4 December 1961) is an American-born Australian television presenter who is best known as the former presenter of the east coast edition of ''Today Tonight'', an Australian current affairs program which was broadcast on weekn ...
taking over for season two, and
Tom Williams for series three.
The show premiered on 9 July 2007. The second season started airing from 12 May 2008, with a third aired from 14 July 2009.
Overview
The show follows the work of volunteer
Surf Lifesavers on the beaches of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, and
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
.
It also features the work of the Sydney
Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter
The Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service is a helicopter surf lifesaving service that operates in Australia.
Founded in 1973 by Surf Life Saving Australia, a nonprofit organization, not-for-profit organisation, the service has carried o ...
and Sydney's Offshore Rescue Boats, such as the
Cronulla District Lifesaver Rescue
The Cronulla District LifeSaver Rescue Service works with the Water police, Water Police, NSW Police, NSW Maritime, Coast Guard, PolAir Helicopters, Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopters, Bate Bay Surf Life Saving Clubs as well as clubs in th ...
Boat.
Reception
Series One
![Surf Patrol Gunnamatta Beach Stevage](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Surf_Patrol_Gunnamatta_Beach_Stevage.jpg)
The first season, consisting of 17 episodes, began airing on 9 July 2007. The first reason of ''Surf Patrol'' was viewed by an average of 1.45 million people in Australia's mainland
capital cities
A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, Department (country subdivision), department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city ...
over the course of the series and was the highest rating program of the week on several occasions.
Series Two
Following its highly successful debut in 2007,
Channel 7 and Cornerbox ordered a second season of ''Surf Patrol'', which began filming on 22 December 2007. The second season consisted of 20 episodes, and covered more beaches than the first series.
Surf Lifesaving Australia President, Ron Rankin AM, welcomed the news of a second series and said the program was a tribute to the work of surf lifesavers across the country: "I have travelled around Australia extensively during the Year of the Surf Lifesaver and many people have told me how much they love ''Surf Patrol'' and the realistic portrayal of SLSA members," he said. "We look forward to working closely with Cornerbox and Channel 7 to ensure that the second series portrays the very best of our movement."
Series Three
Season three of ''Surf Patrol'' focused on the beaches of
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, primarily the Northern
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
and
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.
Southport lies on the Irish ...
&
Surfers Paradise SLSCs. Many episodes primarily feature Lifesavers Ryan Knight (Lifesaver of the Year), Kenny Lloyd (Surfers Paradise Patrol Captain) and Tom Abella (popular public figure) due to their relative popularity with viewers.
The season debuted well, attracting an audience of 1.526 million viewers.
See also
* ''
Bondi Rescue'', a similar series
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, 1208639, Surf Patrol
Australian factual television series
Seven Network original programming
2007 Australian television series debuts
2009 Australian television series endings
Television shows set in Victoria (Australia)
Television shows set in New South Wales
Television shows set in Queensland