At Thirroul Surf Life Saving Club, eight teams of up to 10 volunteers will patrol the beach from now until the end of April 2015.

The club has 590 members of which more than 80 are volunteer surf lifesavers who will dedicate at least 10 Sundays in the warmer months to ensure the beach is a safer place to swim and surf.

President Jeff Body said each patrol had team members with different skills from driving the inflatable rescue boats, to spinal management and first aid.

He said the club provided accredited training to volunteers.

Throughout the year, the club helps struggling neighbouring clubs such as Bellambi, which has only 12 active members.

"We've got a strong base here so we're able to help out when other clubs are doing it tough," Mr Body said. "The culture has always been to make sure that Thirroul Surf Club remains open to families and the community regardless of a person's ability."

The Thirroul clubhouse has recently undergone renovations and the club has bought a new all-terrain vehicle with the help of funds raised by the Austinmer-Thirroul Lions Club and the Seaside Arts Festival Committee.

"The vehicle means the response time on our beach, which is almost a kilometre long, is a lot faster and that makes it a safer beach for people to swim in," Mr Body said.

Last year, Thirroul patrols carried out 24 rescues and conducted 250 preventive actions.

At Sandon Point Surf Club, members were in action just hours after their season began, when they were called to help rescue a surfer, believed to have hit his head on a rock.

With concerns over potential spinal injuries, club member Ken Holloway said "a textbook rescue" was carried out by surf club members, members of Sandon Point Boardriders and members of the public using the surf board as a spinal board.