Chapter 5.4
Updated 25 Sep 2026 · Grant
Life happens — the key is to give as much notice as possible and arrange a substitute through the SLS Members Hub. When another qualified, proficient member accepts your swap, your obligation for that patrol is met and no make-up hours are needed. If no substitute is found, the missed patrol is recorded as a deficit (informally, you'd say you're "hours down").
Log in to the SLS Members Hub at hub.sls.com.au
Go to More > Patrols > Upcoming Patrols to see your allocated patrols
Find the date you can't attend
Select "Request substitute" — the listing updates to show it as requesting a substitute
Raising the request in the Hub is the first step — for anything less than 48 hours' notice, also contact your Patrol Captain directly and, if it's urgent, other patrol members too (see the notification table below).
Log in to the SLS Members Hub
Go to More > Patrols > Patrol Substitutes Needed
Scroll to the list of patrols other members have flagged as needing a substitute
Find one you're eligible and available for, and select "I can do this"
Confirm when prompted — this accepts the substitution and updates both rosters
Exact wording may vary
These are the standard steps for the SLS Members Hub, the national platform every Surf Life Saving club uses — exact button wording can shift slightly with platform updates. If anything looks different, use the Hub's own help, or ask the Club Administrator.
Watch your competition hours
A substitute swap satisfies your Club obligation for that patrol, but it doesn't add to your own personal patrol hours. If you're aiming to compete at State or National Championship level, you need 16 personally-attended patrol hours from the calendar year prior — relying heavily on substitutes can leave your Club obligation met while you're still short for competition. See Competition Eligibility & Patrol Requirements in Surf Sports & Competition.
Notice given | What to do |
|---|---|
More than 48 hours before | Notify your Patrol Captain and raise a substitute request in the Hub immediately; monitor and follow up |
Less than 48 hours before | Notify your Patrol Captain immediately, raise the request in the Hub, and also contact other patrol members directly for urgent cover |
Emergency or same day | Call your Patrol Captain directly first, then raise the substitute request in the Hub as soon as practicable |
If you're hours down, you can make up the deficit by accepting a future-dated swap in the Hub (this restores your entitlements straight away), covering someone else's patrol as a substitute, or completing a patrol the Director of Lifesaving has marked as eligible for make-up.