What do chief judges and course judges do, including in IRB events?
Rule- Australia
- Surf Life Saving Australia
- Surf sports
- Officiating
- 2026/27
- Officials
- Surf Sports Manual 38th Ed
Chief Judge (responsible to the Area or Sectional Referee): supervises or helps set up courses; rosters, rotates and allocates duties for judges; positions judges to best determine the finish; makes sure finish judges know the number of placings required; adjudicates judges' or recorders' decisions if necessary; reports breaches to the Referee; and co-ordinates and confirms results, signing result cards if required.
Course Judge: a judge of fact who should, as far as possible, be in an elevated position or a boat for a constant view. They immediately report safety concerns or rescue situations to the Referee or delegate and/or Safety Officer, report rule breaches to the Referee, and check the alignment of all buoys before and during the competition, especially if conditions change.
In IRB events Course Judges also watch that driving and crew techniques comply with the Driving and Crew Safety Procedures:
- For a cautionary matter (the crew falls below the expected standard where common sense and skill are ignored, or they endanger their own safety), the Course Judge may caution the driver and crew on correct technique and reports it to the Referee.
- For unsafe or dangerous technique (the crew puts their own safety, their IRB, or other competitors or IRBs at risk of injury or collision), the Course Judge reports to the Referee with a recommendation that the crew members be disqualified from the event, or from the event and the rest of the competition.
A Course Judge in Boat must report to the Sectional Referee or Chief Judge no later than 30 minutes before the start of competition.
Source: SLSA Surf Sports Manual, 38th Edition, clauses 13.22.2 and 13.22.5.
Added 24 Oct 2026