Forget 'Baywatch' -- These Lifeguards are the Real Deal

SYDNEY, Dec. 19, 2006— -- As the holidays grow near in America, summer heats up in Australia, making the beaches a top destination for globe trekkers and locals taking a holiday.

Bondi (pronounced bond-eye) beach in Sydney is a favorite -- attracting thousands of international tourists each day. It made headlines as host to the beach volleyball events during the Olympics and, more recently last year, when it got caught up in the race riots of neighboring town Cronulla.

But what Bondi is really famous for is its beautiful bods, babes and brawn. Most visitors are there to swim and surf, worship the sun ... or, all right, worship each other. However, I wasn't there to check out those beautiful people. I was there to meet the men who rescue them.

The lifeguards at Bondi have a reputation of being, well, hot. "It is dangerous to try and drown yourself purely for the sake of being rescued by a big chunk of a lifeguard. If on the other hand you are drowning, Bondi has the best looking ones," according to the Sydney Luxe City Guide (www.luxecityguides.com).

That aside, these guys are the real deal. They have to be to work at Bondi, where there are more rescues than any other single beach in the world.

Today we're "up on crowds, low on surf," veteran lifeguard Terry tells me, casually scanning the beach. "It's a good day." To the untrained eye, it's hard to imagine it not being a good day here.

To prepare for their posts, the lifeguards (who wear blue -- not to be confused with the weekend volunteers in red and yellow) are at the top of their game. Dubbed "elite water men" by Australia's Network Ten freshman television series "Bondi Rescue," the corps is comprised of pro surfers and champion swimmers.

Each one of them is annually tested for their physical strength and aptitude in the ocean and on the sand. Highly trained, certified and licensed professionals, they know this beach like the back of their hand. They can point out every trouble spot, spot every swell and predict every effect the weather will have on the surf.