National Lifesaving Championship 2023

The National Lifesaving Championship (Nationals) is the premier lifesaving competition in the UK.  The lifesaving sport was primarily intended to encourage lifesavers to develop, maintain and improve the essential physical and mental skills needed to save lives. This competition plays an important role in promoting the technical skills, knowledge and decision-making abilities of lifesavers.

Nationals attract lifesavers of all ages, from all regions and brings them together in the mutual pursuit of excellence. Each participant has the knowledge and skills to help prevent drowning and promote an active and healthy lifestyle through lifesaving activity.

Lifesaving competitions consist of a variety of competitions to further develop and demonstrate lifesaving skills, fitness and motivation. This competition has four elements to test the skills of competitors:

Life Support Initiative Test

Competitors will have 90 seconds to respond to a dry simulation to demonstrate emergency first aid and casualty care.

Aquatic Initiative Test

Competitors have 90 seconds to respond to an Aquatic Initiative Test, which will test their assessment of the situation, their lifesaving skills and after rescue treatment.

Swim and Tow

Competitors enter the water, swim to their team mate who they then tow to the designated finishing point. The Swim and Tow shall be a non-contact tow using a tea towel (to represent an item of clothing) of a minimum size of 500 x 300mm. The towel is to be in the competitor’s possession at the start of the event.

Line Throw

The competitor coils a rope, throw it out to a team mate and pull them back in.

Competitors work their way through the Regional qualifiers to represent their area in the National Final.

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Regional Rankings 

	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011	2010	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005
All Ireland	2	2	3	3	3	3	5	4	1	2	2	1	1
East	13	12	8	10	13	9	–	13	–	–	13	–	–
East Midlands	3	8	5	2	5	2	2	3	5	7	4	2	3
North East	4	1	2	1	1	4	3	1	3	3	9	3	7
North West	9	10	11	13	11	14	–	10	9	5	8	9	10
Scotland	8	7	6	3	8	10	4	5	6	3	3	4	5
South	12	9	10	5	9	7	–	9	–	–	11	10	11
South East	6	5	1	6	1	1	1	2	4	1	1	7	3
South West	7	3	7	8	7	10	5	8	–	–	6	11	9
Wales	1	4	4	7	5	5	–	6	7	9	7	6	2
West	11	4	11	11	12	13	9	11	8	8	12	12	–
West Midlands	5	13	13	12	10	12	8	12	10	6	10	8	7
Yorkshire	9	6	8	9	4	5	5	6	2	–	5	5	6