SHE is a world record breaker, a nurse and a champion for water safety.
Point Lookout SLSC golden girl, Ann-Sophie Sullivan is one of eight lifesavers from across the state taking part in Surf Life Saving Queensland 2020 Surf Girl judging week on the Gold Coast.
The 25-year-old has spent the past year promoting beach and water safety to the community as well as fundraising for the North Stradbroke Island surf club.
She put Point Lookout in the Guinness Book of World Records by hosting the largest beach safety lesson on Cylinder Beach in December last year.
She has held various fundraisers, dinners, community events and even traveled out west spreading the surf safety message.
"I did the beach to bush program and traveled to Cairns and out to Mount Isa to teach regional kids about beach safety when visiting the coast during holiday time - it's so important to teach them as some have had no experience in the sea," she said.
Surf Girl is an annual fundraising and member development program, which celebrates females in lifesaving and has raised almost $17 million for surf life saving clubs across Queensland since its inception in 1964.
Ann-Sophie brings almost two decades of experience to each patrol, having first joined as a nipper in 2000 and now has her sights set on becoming the second female president of Point Lookout SLSC.
While she has been involved in plenty of rescues over the years, it is still her first that stands out the most.
"I was 15-years-old and a brand new Bronzie. A sandbank collapsed and an elderly gentleman was struggling to stay afloat. I dashed out on the board and assisted the man onto my board. It's amazing how the muscle memory just kicks in and takes over.
"Back on the beach he was still trying to catch his breath as he embraced his worried wife. She thanked me for returning her husband to her and gave me a hug. It was an incredible feeling to know that I had saved a life," she said.
Ann-Sophie said she had a passion for Life Saving Queensland, even meeting her fiance through the organisation.
"I'm passionate about working towards my future imprint on the club and the wider organisation and am heavily involved in the strategic planning committee," she said.
Ann-Sophie has a busy itinerary at judging week including a community education session, CPR demonstration, tour of the lifesaver rescue helicopter service base as well as interviews with the judging panel.
The week will conclude with a dinner on Friday where four awards will be announced - the 2020 Surf Girl winner, runner-Up, highest fundraiser, and innovation award.
The 2020 Surf Girl ambassadors are:
- Zara Chauvin-Hartmann - Cairns SLSC
- Toni Morgan - Ayr SLSC
- Keesha Close - Mackay SLSC
- Georgia Martin - Bundaberg SLSC
- Sonita Leng-Cole - Alexandra Headland SLSC
- Ann-Sophie Sullivan - Point Lookout SLSC
- Ela Heiniger - Burleigh Heads SLSC
- Courtney Taylor - Currumbin SLSC