As summer draws to a close, Victorian Lifeguard Matt Dee reflects he has not done one rescue this season. It’s a remarkable feat given Deano has done 87 rescues. In the 2003-2004 patrol season, lifesavers performed 9,044 rescues, provided emergency care to 26,739 patients, and undertook 171,965 preventative actions.
Surf lifesavers are what made Bondi famous and there’s a bronze sculpture of one outside the Bondi Pavilion. The surf lifesaving movement began in 1906 with the founding of the Bondi Surf Life Bathers’ Lifesaving Club in response to the drownings that accompanied the increasing popularity of swimming.
Surf Lifesavers from both clubs were involved in the largest rescue ever on a single day, known as ‘Black Sunday’. You can also spend time training with the Manly Life Saving Club and developing your surf craft skills. As your perception of dangerous situations improves you will also be taught important first aid techniques including CPR and how to use oxygen equipment. Pass the Bondi Icebergs Club, known for its year-round bathing and walk over Mackenzies Point, from where there are good views. You soon come to Tamarama Beach, a small beach with rough surf.
They are a club that swims here during even the coldest winter months. Bondi Beach is very popular with the surfing crowd, this beach has great waves that break at the southern end. At the southern end of the beach is a public seawater ‘rock pool’, home to the famous Bondi Icebergs Club who derive their name from swimming even during the colder winter months. The southern end is also popular with surfers as good waves break at this point.
It has a tremendous undertow (rip) known as the Backpacker’s Express by the local life guards who tire of routinely pulling tourists from the surf. The north end of the beach - a level stroll away - is designated for swimmers. In your spare time you will be able to explore the local area and have free access to the surf club’s equipment which includes surf boards and kayaks. Any local will tell you that one of the best ways to see the coast is from the clifftop walk between Bondi and Bronte beaches - it truly is spectacular. Although be prepared for a wind-swept look when you’re done!
At the southern end of the beach are the Bronte Sea Baths (Bronte Road), where you can swim without having to contend with waves or surfers. In the cold months insane people will still be surfing, in wetsuits, but still in the darn water nonetheless. The sand is clean and the kids can enjoy themselves. The tennis stars began by running through the sand and then hit the waves to swim beyond the breaking surf to a buoy a couple hundred meters into the water. After swimming back from the buoy, the Israeli team showed the effects of their efforts, almost needing life saving of their own as they struggled to regain their breath.
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