A group of senior lifeguards just happen to be standing at the edge of the water for a photo shoot when they’re told there’s been a man found floating lifeless in the surf.

A lifeguard watches over Bondi Beach in a scene from Bondi Rescue Series 1 (2006). 

The lifeguards are euphoric. Thanks to their skill and quick action, they’ve managed to bring a young man back to life who was found face down in the water and clinically dead.

A tragedy unfolds at Bondi Beach when lifeguards are unable to locate a man last seen struggling to stay afloat at the southern end of the beach where there is a dangerous rip.

This segment from an Australasian Gazette newsreel from approximately 1929 shows a Scottish pipe band leading the opening parade of a surf carnival at Bondi Beach, Sydney.

This newsreel from approximately 1924 shows surfers and swimmers enjoying the first day of real summer weather of the season. It opens with a wide shot of the northern end of Bondi Beach.

Shot at the famous Bondi Beach, the film reflects on the prominence of beach culture in Australia.