Sunday for The Sunday Project. Goodnight.
Captions
Goodnight. Captions by
OSHER GUNSBERG: Bondi.
Always was, always will be Gadigal land.
(STICKS CLICK)
MAN: This place is as much yours as it is ours.
And we need to look after it
together.
The ocean has washed against this sand
for millions of years.
Now Bondi is one of the busiest beaches in the world...
Hey, hey, hey! Move, move! (HORN TOOTS)
..where the city meets the sea...
We love Bondi!
..where the ocean's mood...
(THUNDER RUMBLES) ..can change in a heartbeat.
Where did they go?
We'll launch jet ski now.
In a single season...
(ALL SCREAM)
..Bondi's lifeguards can rescue up to 1,000 people.
Get on. Get on.
Without them, scores would drown.
MAN: That person is so drowning right now.
There's two of 'em!
Stop swimming here, 'cause someone's gonna disappear.
Tragically...
Get him out of the water! Get him out of the water.
..best efforts sometimes fail.
Ambulance.
I want everyone back.
The pandemic saw the beach shut down.
Then one of the wettest summers on record.
Now... Come in, please!
..Bondi is back...
Sideways, upside down, back to front.
..a magnet for tourists and locals.
Never seen so many nude people in my life.
Bondi is as busy...
It's like a washing machine out there.
..and as dangerous...
There is a shark.
..as ever.
Hey! Stop.
SONG: # Take me back to the
# Sweet times, the hot nights
# Everything is gonna be alright
# In the summertime
# Baby, in the summertime
# That is where I'll be. #
(ETHEREAL MUSIC)
A classic Bondi summer.
But one day of the season is like no other.
ALL: Merry Christmas!
Nowhere does Christmas quite like Bondi.
Whoo!
I am here from Dublin.
I never thought in my wildest dreams I'd be here.
We are from Italy. From Italy, yeah.
Ahhh! Merry Christmas!
(CHRISTMASSY MUSIC)
Among the throng of revellers,
the man of the moment always drops in.
Ho, ho, ho!
Santa's challenge is to arrive on a different kind of sleigh every year.
Merry Christmas!
It's an ancient Christmas tradition for one of the lifeguards
to swap their Bondi blue for Santa red.
Merry Christmas!
MAN OVER RADIO:
Merry Christmas!
This Christmas, Harries got the job.
HARRIES: There's a lot of pressure.
And it's a very hot day, so the heat is on.
Ho, ho, ho!
Merry Christmas, everybody! Ho, ho, ho!
Little bit different this year.
Santa's carbon-neutral, eco-friendly.
And I've got the electric bike down on the beach.
Merry Christmas!
Ho, ho, ho!
(CHILD SQUEALS)
Santa's little helpers are Harries's sons Leo and Billy.
But Santa's presents may not be on every kid's wish list.
This year, Santa's gone green
in more ways than one.
(CHILDREN SCREAM)
Ohh, brussels sprouts!
Oh! Oh, oh!
Brussels sprouts. Yum, yum, yum!
Ew, ew, ew!
Come on! Brussels sprouts!
Those poor kids.
This is a Bondi Christmas!
Get your greens into you!
30,000 people are expected to crowd the beach -
the biggest Christmas in years.
Lifeguards brace for mayhem.
At the helm is senior lifeguard Bruce Hopkins.
Hoppo has been patrolling the beach for 30 years.
This is the first busy day we're gonna have
compared to the last three years.
You can lose control of Bondi very easy.
We need to be on the ball and ready to go.
Safest place to swim is inside the red-and-yellow flags.
Conditions are dangerous.
If you're not a good swimmer, stay close to shore.
Singlets grew up at Bondi
and is a seasoned lifeguard.
But after three quiet summers,
the pressure is on.
It's been really hard for us to adjust as lifeguards
and, you know, getting used to
not having the work volume, the crowd volume
and all of the emergencies that go along with it
to now being in, you know, sort of top gear.
We're just not used to playing grand-final day.
(PEOPLE CHEER)
For young gun Chase,
just 21,
this is the biggest crowd he's ever kept watch over.
This was my first big Christmas Day.
My last two ones have been quite quiet.
So the one before was COVID, where there was no-one down here,
and then we had one before that which was raining.
So this one was definitely a bit of a thrill, packing up into it.
And then we got down here, the car park was already filling in.
There was people roaming around the beaches.
Straightaway, we all, in the morning, knew what we had in for us.
By lunchtime, the crowd is swelling and the tide is running out.
It's a potentially lethal combination.
When the tide's running out, it's the most dangerous,
because all the water's moving back out to sea.
So having that in the afternoon at our peak time
is just not what you want.
Former head lifeguard Lawrie
monitors a series of strong rips in the middle of the beach.
Two men are caught 50m from shore.
The first rescue of Christmas Day.
One man battles to keep his head above water.
His friend tries to help him.
It was the worst rip of the day, so we knew
as soon as that tide was gonna start pulling out
that it was definitely the one to watch,
and by the time I had my board, he already had his head under.
So I just beelined it straight for him.
His mate was kind of outside of him.
By the time I got to him,
I reckon it was three seconds he was under water for.
Very close to drowning.
Right in the nick of time.
As Chase ferries the men back to the sandbank,
another swimmer is caught in the same rip.
It was just like a conveyor belt going around.
I just had to make some quick decisions.
I just tried getting him off the board
and he was obviously so scared 'cause he almost drowned.
He didn't wanna touch the water again.
Hoppo then spots another two people struggling in the rip.
Three swimmers are now in trouble.
Any delay could be lethal.
I ran to get the board, went across the deep gutter
and then hit the shallow sandbank and started running.
And then I realised something was wrong.
I look out to where the rescues are being performed,
and I notice something's seriously wrong with Hoppo.
I'm in trouble.
It's a packed Christmas Day,
the busiest in years.
Strong rips play havoc across Bondi.
After rescuing two swimmers,
Chase is on his way to rescue a third.
Then, as Hoppo spots another two in trouble,
disaster strikes.
As I was running across the sandbank,
I went into a pothole
and I just felt this massive pain and tear in my calf.
I knew straightaway I'd torn my calf
and I was in excruciating pain.
When swimmers can drown in seconds,
every moment counts.
I'm finding it hard to get across the sandbank,
but I knew I still had to get there
to get these two people and rescue them.
Luckily, a board rider comes across and holds them up until I get there.
As Hoppo pushes through the pain,
Chase makes his third rescue in minutes.
(MAN GRUNTS)
The pain at this point's probably about an 8 out of 10.
And I'm really struggling.
I'm floating with the two patients
hoping for Chase to come out and help me
and grab one of my patients
to be able to take them back to shore.
I see that Hoppo's out there,
but I knew something was up just because he'd taken so long.
That moment, I knew I was gonna have to go back out here.
Chase is not only helping rescue the two swimmers,
he's now rescuing his boss.
Rescuing another lifeguard is quite an ironic situation
that I'm definitely not used to, and I didn't know what I was in for.
Now the weight is off my calf, paddling the board is not as bad.
So I pass one off to Chase
and then I brought the other person in.
The full extent of Hoppo's injury soon becomes apparent.
When I was running to get those two,
I just hit a pothole and done my calf.
Just felt a crack. Felt a little tear.
I've gotta go up.
There are an estimated 30,000 people on the beach
and now lifeguards are one man down.
Being a big day on Christmas Day
and halfway through it, to have our main man, Hoppo, go down,
was pretty devastating for the rest of us.
It's, like, the worst thing you could ask for -
especially with Hoppo, who's our most experienced lifeguard.
I guess he's gonna still be good eyes up in the tower,
but we could definitely do with his water skills
and knowledge on the edge of the water.
With all my experience and helping out the guys,
I really felt like I let the team down
by getting the injury.
But young gun Chase and veteran Tommy Woodruff
are up for the challenge.
Tommy is a seasoned waterman
but new to the lifeguard team.
It's been 20 years since I've been a lifeguard.
And I was nervous, because I could be a bit rusty.
I'm the new old guy.
(LAUGHS)
Tommy's one of those guys,
you can never take experience away from someone,
no matter how long they've been out of the game for.
So to be on the beach, sitting in the buggy
next to the old man, it's great, and it's a real honour
to be working alongside him down here at Bondi Beach.
By 3pm, the crowd is at its peak.
Hundreds of swimmers are oblivious to the rips running out at low tide.
No-one is paying attention.
Chase and Tommy take drastic action.
Doing our maintenance on the beach, it's normally over the megaphone,
but this day, it just had to be warned
straight in front of their faces
so they got the idea of how alarming it was for us.
All I wanted is everyone out of those rips
and just straight onto the sandbank where it was a lot safer
and manageable for us.
It was like talking to a brick wall.
It was an absolute nightmare.
Oi! Oi!
Christmas Day revellers
are disregarding lifeguards' safety warnings.
No more swimming here, OK? No more.
WOMAN: OK.
Hundreds of swimmers are in danger
of being swept into Bondi's notorious rips.
With the crowd ignoring warnings...
Oi!
..Chase and Tommy decide to marshal swimmers face to face.
Too dangerous.
TOMMY: Chase, I've never worked with him before.
He was just like a little whippet all day. There's not much of him.
He was herding people.
He was just an absolute machine.
You right? Yeah.
All good.
Swimmers are finally herded into the safety of shallow water.
Scores of potential rescues have been prevented.
Oh, we're buggered.
I can barely breathe. (CHUCKLES)
It all happened so quickly.
Workin' hard, bro.
Working with Tommy, I just had a great partner.
The old boy's still got it in him for sure.
I was really impressed by Chase,
but, you know, I reckon I did alright for an old rookie.
(LAUGHS)
6:45pm.
Pack-up time after one of the busiest days in years.
Attention, everyone. The lifeguard service is finishing for the day.
Merry Christmas
and make sure you stay safe.
We had 30 rescues for the day,
so it was very successful
and I was very proud of the team.
They all chipped in, especially with me out injured.
And it was good to see everyone could enjoy the day at the beach
and all go home safe.
Oh.
I'm now off to get an ultrasound.
Not the Christmas present I wanted.
Waves lapping on the shore.
It doesn't get any more tranquil.
But sometimes the soundtrack of the beach
is far from peaceful.
(SCREAMS)
The crowds are back at Bondi.
So too are the injuries.
KC has been alerted to an injured boy
at South Bondi.
KC OVER RADIO:
Yeah, copy.
WOMAN:
15-year-old Dan
was swimming with mates when he got dumped by a wave.
Young boy's in a lot of pain.
I'll take you up to the tower and the ambo's gonna meet us there, OK?
So I'll give you a hand up.
I'd put my weight under here.
Good? You're right.
OK. (GROANS PAINFULLY)
The way the kid was holding his shoulder,
it was obvious that it was a dislocation.
My arm's gone numb, bro.
(GROANS)
Yeah, we'll treat him with a green whistle when I get up there.
For anyone who's in a lot of pain,
we can give them the green whistle, which is a pain relief.
(GROANS)
And it's the only pain relief we can offer to our patients.
All good? Holding on? Yep!
(DAN GROANS)
Lifeguards aren't authorised to put dislocations back in.
All they can do is administer pain relief
and call for back-up.
Hey, buddy. Come in here, mate.
I've had more dislocated shoulders than I've had hot breakfasts.
Just rest back there. (GROANS)
Can you put your back back?
Just try. (GROANS) Ahh, my arm!
Yeah, I know. I can't, I can't move it!
So he's quite a wiry young fella.
Yeah, he just needed a bit of pain relief straightaway.
Ahh! Moving, no.
Just cover the hole here.
Alright, and just breathe it in.
Nice, deep breaths. In through the mouth, out through your nose.
That's it. Good job, mate.
It sucks. It really sucks.
I feel sorry for anyone who does dislocate their shoulder.
Yeah, I know. (GROANS)
It's on its way, mate. Keep using this.
I know. I know, mate. I know, I know.
(SCREAMS)
(BLEEP) Ahh!
(BOY SCREAMS)
Ow, my arm!
I know. I know, mate. I know.
15-year-old Dan is in extreme pain...
(SCREAMS)
..after dislocating his shoulder in the surf.
Breathe. Hey. I know. I know. Here, breathe.
We're very limited to what we can do with a dislocation.
We've just gotta manage their pain and make sure they're comfortable.
Breathe again.
The green whistle contains methoxyflurane.
It's quick and effective pain relief,
but can have other side effects.
You've done well. It's a good dislocation.
WILL:
(LAUGHS)
The green whistle worked its magic pretty quick on Dan.
Yeah, he really enjoyed the green whistle.
He was quite little, so a few puffs into it and he was flying.
Yeah, real happy drug for some.
Well, we went down the bogey, right?
And we caught a bit of, like, waves and that and, like, it was sweet.
And then I went to these shories.
First wave I caught, I get barrelled
and I just get dumped on my back and just...
..slam into my shoulder.
Just died, you know what I mean?
(LAUGHS)
(GIGGLES)
(SIREN WAILS)
Ambos are here, mate. They're just pulling up.
DAN:
Hey, mate. How are ya?
We've got Daniel here. He's 15.
Dislocated his right shoulder.
PARAMEDIC: Alright. How'd you do it, buddy?
Yeah, no, buddy.
Yeah, I gotta check your blood pressure before I do anything.
And then I'll fix that, OK?
PARAMEDIC:
DAN:
I love you, bro, just so you know that.
No worries. Can you just...
I actually appreciate you doing this for me.
He started telling us how much he loves us.
It's always nice to hear. You know, can't complain about that.
PARAMEDIC:
Keep the whistle in your mouth.
Just keep... How about you put your hand down and I'll hold it for ya?
PARAMEDIC:
WILL:
Just stay there.
So he just needed that whistle, that was his distraction
to just roll with it and the shoulder will go back in.
Yeah.
Sometimes you're fighting against quite a bit of muscle,
but fortunately, in this case...
He promised me he was gonna go to the gym after this, didn't ya?
Well, you know...
Can I give you a hug after this, paramedic, please?
A full hug! No, a whole-arm hug.
Please, bro! I love you.
I love you, bro.
(LAUGHS)
Thank you. I love you!
DAN:
PARAMEDIC:
He was feeling the love. Shoulder was back in, he was happy.
So he was fine, mate.
You've done well, Daniel. Did I cry?
Nah, mate. You were brave as. You were good.
Tough as. Really?
Yeah, you were awesome.
(LAUGHS) I reckon you are, brother.
Yeah. You're a legend, mate. I love you.
I love you, bro. (LAUGHS)
I love all the Bondi blokes. You guys are all, like, sick.
I've seen some characters down here, but Dan the Man takes the cake.
DAN:
PARAMEDIC:
What's that saying? Yeah?
Thank you.
That's alright. Thank you for fixing my shoulder.
That's OK. We called his mum, 'cause he is 15.
How are you? Thank you. Thank you so much.
It was nice and simple.
I've just given him some medication so he doesn't feel it.
MUM:
Oh, with my friends? Yeah!
Really? You guys want some food?
Yep! (LAUGHS)
Alright. Oh, yeah.
(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) I have quite a few friends, Mum.
Felt sorry for the mum.
She just wants to take her baby boy out for lunch
and he didn't want a bar of it
but he was happy to go out with his mates.
Cheers, boys, for everything. No worries, mate!
Thanks, guys.
Thanks to you too.
Thanks to you.
Cheers, bro!
It's been a good experience from these lifeguards.
These are good men.
(FRIENDS CHEER)
That was our first dislocation of the season
and it was a bloody good one - absolute cracker.
OSHER: Next time on Bondi Rescue...
A man dragged from the water.
He was unconscious in the water for around five seconds.
And Maxi's back.
Oh, handsome?
One of Bondi's favourite lifeguards
Hello! ..is on a roll.
Hey! What are you doing?
No more Mr Nice Guy. So whose board's this?
It's a very serious situation unfolding.