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.

A "Good Day" on Bondi

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.

They are true professionals who have made careers out of saving lives -- and, at Bondi, they do so 365 days a year.

This little strip of paradise, shaped like a crescent moon, stretches just over half a mile long. It attracts 20-30,000 visitors a day and during the holiday season, the number doubles. The majority of these people are first-time tourists who are blissfully unaware of the dangers that lurk there.

Terry has been a lifeguard in Oz for twenty years. His passion for his profession is obvious. "You see down there?" he asks from the mid-beach tower, pointing to the south side entrance of Bondi. "We call that backpackers rip."

This is the first place tourists -- typically with a suitcase or backpack in tow -- enter the beach. The fresh faces arrive each day in a state of vacation euphoria (who can blame them?), they toss their bags down on the sand and gleefully jump straight into the ocean -- ignoring all warning signs and flags and oblivious to the fact that they have just plunged into the most dangerous rip current on the beach.

Dangerous Currents

Even for the strongest of swimmers, rip currents can be a challenge. Powerful flows of water rush outwards to the ocean -- indiscriminately dragging anything in their path with them. The trick to escape is to swim parallel to the shore but instead, many people try exhaustingly to fight back -- all while more waves keep coming.

Rip currents are the cause of most rescues at Bondi -- sometimes causing a hundred in a single day -- that's twenty to thirty per lifeguard on duty.

These rescues are no easy task -- generally requiring a full speed sprint in the sand (anyone who's tried this can appreciate the difficulty of just this first step) to the water's edge, paddling out to scoop the victim up onto their board and then paddling them back in -- only to keep racing the clock if the person is unconscious and resuscitation is needed.

When the waters are rough and the rips act up, the repetition of this practice can be fierce -- lifeguards sometimes handing victims off to other lifeguards before having to plunge back in and rescue the next.

Such is the nature of the beach at Bondi, and it has been that way for decades. Because the current lifeguards do their jobs so well, the dangers of the beach go almost unnoticed.

But talk to any of the locals and Black Sunday -- on February 6, 1938, a series of waves hit in quick succession and while hundreds of people were rescued, five people drowned -- is a sobering reminder of both the power of the ocean and the respect they have for the men who watch over them.

On this sunny, cloudless day, the beach crowded with vacationers and locals who are playing hooky, the reality and weight of the lifeguards' responsibilities are clear. Terry sums it up in a matter-of-fact manner -- when it all comes down to it, they "are the bottom line."

Beyond the water, there is a whole other world these guys keep tabs on. From the one-way tinted window of their tower, they listen in to each others' walkie talkies, keeping an eye on every person, every move and every detail. Most in the crowd outside are enjoying the surf and the sun -- and then there is everything else.

Saving Lives

People hung over and still on the beach from the night before, lost children, lost dogs, drug overdoses, a man sneaking photos of topless women (they caught him), people trying to steal others' belongings (they caught them too), broken bones, scraped up bodies from the skate bowl down the beach -- all of this monitored and under control by the lifeguards in their tower.

Inside, a handwritten note is pinned up to the wall. On a simple white card, personally addressed to five of them, are the words "THANK YOU" in capital letters and underlined. . . for "reviving me . . . I will be ever grateful to the lifeguards at Bondi Beach. God bless you all."

I ask Terry what it feels like to rescue someone.

"It's hard to put in words", he says slowly, pausing to look me straight in the eye. "It's personal. No one else can feel it. They can't feel it (nodding to the people behind us). You can't feel it."

His voice trails and I let the moment and his silent thoughts take over as he looks out over the water -- twenty years of experience seem to flip thru his mind. "It's unbelievable" he finally says. "I become like a surrogate son to people. They still come to find me to say hi during the holidays."

And as with most things in life, the good is mixed with the bad.

Terry tells me about one Christmas Eve morning when he discovered the body of a boy who started surfing before the lifeguards had opened up their tower. Having just arrived in town, the boy ignored the warnings of his grandmother and underestimated the powerful pull of the waves.

"If only he had waited for us to get here. If only he had listened," Terry says almost pleading for the ability to turn back time.

Outside the rays of sunshine dance on the surface of the water. Time to take a break and join them.

"Come on," Terry says "we're going in." I thought he'd never ask.

South Pacific

Down the stairs of the tower, bare feet in the sand, we make our way to the water. Terry grabs a white lifeguard board as we head in. Now, I know the position you need to lay in when on one of these boards -- and when you're not really being rescued, it's not an ideal situation -- for either person, really. But when in Oz . . .

I hop on the front of the board laying face down on my stomach, Terry on the back in the same position. Together we paddle out against the waves, the ocean's strength picking us up and dropping us down -- our combined weight on the board inconsequential to the water rolling beneath us.

We get out past the waves and plunge off the board and into the silent depths of the clear blue water. After a few relaxing moments, I hear Terry's voice, "come this way, quick." The exact last words you want to hear from any lifeguard when you're out in the ocean -- the shark net off the shore did cross my mind. Turns out it's only a near miss with a bluebottle, scientifically not a jellyfish, but when it's stinging you like one, close enough.

Enamored with the water around me, just like that, I had fallen into the tourist trap of the sea -- unaware of my own immediate surroundings. With Terry's warning, I had become one of the thousands of people looked after each day by the lifeguards. And in that moment, I fully understood the top stop destination of Bondi beach.

Bondi Beach Safety Tips

The lifeguards suggest:

-- Respect the ocean. Check swimming conditions before entering the water (you can find these at the lifeguard tower) and look for water safety signs;

-- Swim with a mate, not alone;

-- Swim between the red-and-yellow flags -- marked for safe swimming areas. The north side of Bondi has gentler surf and is reserved for swimmers, while the south side, with stronger currents, is for surfers;

-- Watch children at all times;

-- Don't swim under the influence of alcohol;

-- Protect yourself from the sun;

-- If in need of a rescue, try to stay calm and don't panic.

Take Away

See: Beach safety signs

Watch: the beautiful people

Bring: sunscreen

Wear: sunscreen

Favorite souvenirs: the memory of being in that water, sand in your suitcase back home

Phrases:

-- No worries, mate

-- surf rage (generally directed towards tourist swimmers in surf territory)

-- shark biscuit (novice surfers, body boards . . . or pretty much anything in the water)

Taste: flat white (espresso & milk), salt water, local brew

Hear: foreign languages of international tourists, Aussie accent

Touch: cool sand from the bottom of the ocean

Smell: salt water

Best transport:

-- Plane via Sydney Airport (SYD)

-- Surfboard, mate

Currency: 1 USD = 1.28 Australian Dollar (AUD)

Paperwork needed: passport

Time zone: UTC/GMT + 11 hours (current offset for daylight savings)

Dialing: 61 country code, 2 area code

Useful Sites: http://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/council/beaches/lifeguards.asp; http://www.apola.asn.au/safety.htm

Did you know?: For a spectacular view of Bondi beach, visit cliff-top glam eatery Icebergs -- and enjoy a glass of local Chardonnay or an Aussie brew, depending on your taste.