1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,120 you at 6:30 tomorrow. We'll see you 2 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,120 you at 6:30 tomorrow. We'll see you tomorrow. 3 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:00,240 tomorrow. Captions 4 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:00,440 tomorrow. Captions by 5 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:07,320 # The hot nights 6 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:10,320 # Everything's gonna be alright In the summertime 7 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:13,800 # Baby, in the summertime 8 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:15,440 # That is where I'll be. # 9 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:27,920 For days, a huge swell has been pounding the coast. 10 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:37,800 Surfers are in big-wave heaven. 11 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:46,280 Even on the shore, the surging surf is a powerful force. 12 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,080 Bondi lifeguards are on high alert. 13 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:04,440 Once again, attention all swimmers. 14 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:06,320 Very dangerous conditions. 15 00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:09,400 Please help us out by staying nice and close to shore, 16 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:11,400 where you can stand at all times. 17 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:20,960 We've had one jet ski fail and the second one's just failed. 18 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:25,120 With two jet skis out of action, 19 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:28,200 Mitch decides to get everyone out of the water. 20 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:31,680 ..to booth? 21 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:35,960 Go. Clubbies going home in 10 minutes. 22 00:01:35,960 --> 00:01:39,080 Still pretty busy down here and we don't have a ski. 23 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:42,760 How do we feel about maybe pulling these flags early tonight? 24 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:46,320 Yeah, I reckon while we got some help with the clubbies, 25 00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:48,560 let's just try and clear them all out. 26 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:58,640 It's just getting to that part of the day 27 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:01,080 where there's still so many people in the water. 28 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:03,480 We're going to get as many people out as we can now, 29 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:05,480 while we've still got like an hour. 30 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:10,600 All these people in front, out, out of the water. 31 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:13,480 These gentlemen wearing the shirts, out. 32 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:17,840 On a hot afternoon, 33 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:21,120 convincing people to stop swimming isn't easy. 34 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:24,320 Attention, beach users. 35 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:27,520 The lifeguard service is finishing up. 36 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:31,800 The red and yellow flags have come down. 37 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:35,960 Very, very dangerous here. 38 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:39,120 No. Hello? No, no, no. 39 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:41,800 Out! No more. 40 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:43,680 We generally have quite long days on the beach, 41 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:45,840 and you're going from the first thing in the morning... 42 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:48,600 ..advising people, making announcements. 43 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:50,680 Hello? It's me again. 44 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,360 We don't want people in the water anymore. 45 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:55,040 When we don't really get a response from people, 46 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:56,560 it gets quite frustrating. 47 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:00,200 Again, too dangerous for swimming now. 48 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:03,280 No sport or swimming at Bondi, please. 49 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:07,480 Hello, hello, are these your friends? Time to get out. 50 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:09,280 Time to go home. 51 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:11,760 Please come back tomorrow if you wish to swim. 52 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,280 You can see how big the surf is. 53 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:18,240 You can feel the current, it's very dangerous. 54 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:22,440 Get out of the water. 55 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:26,880 We'd been making announcements for a while 56 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:30,000 and finally the crowd was starting to thin in the flags. 57 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,720 We were getting ready to go, and then all of a sudden 58 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:34,120 we had this lady come up. 59 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:37,600 Yeah. 60 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:42,040 Yeah. 61 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:43,120 Yeah, OK. 62 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:44,400 OK. 63 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:47,080 Brenda is on holidays from Melbourne, 64 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:50,000 her nephew Aaron, from Perth. 65 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:52,160 His belongings lie untouched. 66 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:54,520 His beach towel hasn't been used. 67 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:02,960 That was 40 minutes ago. 68 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:06,760 Because he was actually a grown man swimming between the flags, 69 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:09,440 initially my thoughts were he's probably gotten out 70 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:11,640 and gone to get a, you know, a cool drink 71 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:13,880 just to watch the sunset for the afternoon. 72 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:15,680 Alright, I'll let the boss know. 73 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:18,360 We'll have a look on the binoculars, yeah? 74 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:20,080 North to central. 75 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:24,080 (OVER RADIO) I've got a lady with concerns about her nephew. 76 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:26,440 34 years old. 77 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:28,120 Name's Aaron Thomas. 78 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:31,160 Hasn't returned to their things on the beach. 79 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:34,520 We were swimming with my nephew Aaron, 80 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:36,280 and then we lost sight of him. 81 00:04:36,280 --> 00:04:38,160 Cannot see him, like, he was in the water... 82 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:44,280 Belongings are there, the accommodation key's there. 83 00:04:44,280 --> 00:04:47,360 And, like, we had dinner reservations at 6:30. 84 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:49,280 Aaron loves his food. 85 00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:52,680 Like, this is really out of character for him. 86 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:54,600 It has been almost an hour. 87 00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:58,760 I am getting really quite worried. 88 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:02,320 Lifeguards would be very concerned if a child was missing. 89 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:05,400 Brenda's nephew is in his 30s. 90 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:13,240 We don't hit the panic button real quick. 91 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,840 I mean, situations like this happen a fair bit and people panic. 92 00:05:16,840 --> 00:05:19,120 Potentially he could have gone across to the shops 93 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:20,560 or walked up the beach. 94 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:25,920 7pm... 95 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:29,120 ..Aaron has been missing for almost 90 minutes. 96 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:36,720 (OVER RADIO) Mitch, this bloke still hasn't turned up. 97 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:40,320 Where would he go, though, if he had a dinner reservation at 6:30? 98 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:41,640 It's probably not good. 99 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:44,560 As the time starts to stretch on, 100 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:46,640 you definitely start to get a bit more concerned. 101 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:49,760 All of his belongings were still on the beach, 102 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,360 room key, towel, you know, towel still dry. 103 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:53,560 You know, we start to think 104 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:56,440 he actually still might be in the water. 105 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:57,840 There'd be only impact of a set, you know, 106 00:05:57,840 --> 00:05:59,120 if he went over the falls or something, 107 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:02,960 he's gone down and hit the bottom or just knocked out. 108 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:06,880 So, the issue if he did get knocked out, 109 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:08,600 potentially he would have been on the bottom 110 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:11,320 and as the water was rushing back out, 111 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:14,840 it could have taken him out the back of the surf, 112 00:06:14,840 --> 00:06:17,480 not washed him back to shore. 113 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:32,040 MITCH: Out of the water! 114 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:35,400 ..34-year-old Perth man Aaron has disappeared. 115 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:37,440 This bloke still hasn't turned up. 116 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:42,200 He was last seen swimming between the flags. 117 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:43,600 I am getting really quite worried. 118 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:46,920 His towel and clothes are untouched. 119 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:52,080 He's been missing for more than 90 minutes. 120 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:53,640 You wanna jump in and we'll just go for a drive? 121 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:56,120 What's your name? Brenda. 122 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:58,280 Brenda. Alright. 123 00:06:58,280 --> 00:07:00,520 What's your name? Mitch. 124 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:02,920 I wasn't really too sure what to do next, in all honesty. 125 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:05,800 You know, like, just to kind of allay her concerns a little bit, 126 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:07,400 I said, "Let's just go for a drive." 127 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:09,840 He might have gone for a bit of a mindful minute, 128 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:11,360 a bit of a walk along the beach. 129 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:23,800 We generally like to get as much information about that person... 130 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:28,600 ..and then give it to the other guys that are working on the beach 131 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:30,440 so that they can keep an eye out as well. 132 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:34,160 Tea. 133 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:37,280 The beach starts to thin. 134 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:39,960 People start to leave and head home and he's still missing. 135 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:41,680 When we see the belongings, they're still there, 136 00:07:41,680 --> 00:07:44,680 you know, room key, you know, towel's still dry, 137 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:46,480 that's when we have to start thinking about 138 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:48,080 what that next step might be. 139 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:52,120 We were still cruising south. 140 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:56,960 Brenda was next to me and she gets a call. 141 00:07:56,960 --> 00:07:59,600 Oh, who is it? Oh, that's Justin. 142 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:03,080 Justin is another nephew. 143 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:07,680 He's also been scouring the beach and surrounding streets, 144 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:09,560 searching for his cousin. 145 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:17,840 It sounds like her nephew has been found. 146 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:21,760 Yeah, we found the missing person. 147 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:23,120 MAN: (OVER WALKIE) Cheers. 148 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:27,160 Bloody Aaron! I know. 149 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:28,880 Yeah, bloody Aaron. 150 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:35,200 That's... That's... 151 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:40,320 Brenda used a few choice words to describe her nephew 152 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:42,520 and the situation she found herself in. 153 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:44,920 All good. Yeah, good result. 154 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:47,560 So, Aaron, like, I don't know. Honestly, I don't know. 155 00:08:47,560 --> 00:08:50,840 But for a grown-ass man, you know, this is pretty bullshit. 156 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:53,120 He can't even find his way back to the towel. 157 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:57,080 So, he's found someone to phone his mother in Perth 158 00:08:57,080 --> 00:08:59,360 to actually, like, WhatsApp us 159 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:01,280 to say he's going back to the accommodation. 160 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:03,000 And I was like, "No way." 161 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:04,640 Like, this is absolutely ridiculous. 162 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:07,000 So he is definitely buying dinner tonight. 163 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:10,520 On a scale of 1-10, how angry are you, Brenda? 164 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:14,080 10, yeah, yeah, this is dinner and dessert. 165 00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:16,720 Gelato, definitely, so, yes. 166 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:20,280 And, yes, I'll get him to bring some treats down 167 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:23,080 to the beach tomorrow as an apology. 168 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:25,280 Yes, anyway, all good. 169 00:09:28,160 --> 00:09:29,440 Aaron went missing a second time, 170 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:34,160 and we still haven't seen the choccy or anything else to go with it. 171 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:46,000 On another summer sizzler, big surf has brought beachgoers out in force. 172 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:53,440 When a big swell combines with a sucking low tide 173 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:56,120 to produce powerful shore dumps, 174 00:09:56,120 --> 00:10:00,840 not even swimming between the flags is a guarantee of safety today. 175 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:02,400 Hi. G'day. 176 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:06,640 Hi, my partner was just swimming, he's over near the other flag, 177 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:09,200 and he's like, come down on his neck pretty hard. 178 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:15,800 The accident happened between the flags 179 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:18,000 right in front of the north tower... 180 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:22,720 ..an area usually deemed safer for swimming. 181 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:24,880 Let's go and check him up. 182 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:29,720 And what happened? He got dumped on the wave? 183 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:32,520 Like, he hit the bottom or something? 184 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:35,120 Yeah, he said he hit pretty hard. 185 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:38,080 OK. And he, like, with the forehead? 186 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:41,040 He just that he, like, had pins and needles. 187 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:43,360 Oh, does he? OK. 188 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:44,720 Let's check him out. 189 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:48,280 When someone comes up to you like that 190 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:51,000 and they say they hurt quite a lot, 191 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:53,160 that is a good chance something really bad. 192 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:57,600 G'day, mate. I'm Mario, what's your name? 193 00:10:57,600 --> 00:10:58,640 Dammo, Damien. 194 00:10:58,640 --> 00:11:00,680 Damien, yeah. What's happening, tell me. 195 00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:03,440 I caught a big wave out there, body surfing... 196 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:05,000 Yeah. ..and it dumped me. 197 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:06,440 Smashed my head on the bottom. Yeah. 198 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:09,960 I just crunched backwards. I heard my neck crunch. 199 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:11,520 Crunch, yeah. I heard it in my ears. 200 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:12,840 OK. 201 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:15,840 Now, got this arm, feels all funny, pins and needles. 202 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:17,280 Pins and needles, OK. Yeah. 203 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:25,520 When he started telling me that he had pins and needles 204 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:29,160 in his in his arms, that's an alarm to think, 205 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:32,960 "OK, so we have to look after really well this person." 206 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:03,840 Copy, mate. I'll call an ambo now. 207 00:12:05,680 --> 00:12:08,880 HARRISON: Knowing the conditions that day, it was very shallow. 208 00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:12,320 It was low tide, and it was a large swell. 209 00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:14,760 It was just dumping right on to that sandbank. 210 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:18,360 Ambulance, please. 211 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:22,040 I just straightaway got the sick feeling. 212 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:26,760 Try not to move. Stand still as much as you can. 213 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:40,840 a 44-year-old body surfer has speared headfirst into a sandbank. 214 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:43,200 I heard my neck crunch. 215 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:46,000 This arm feels all funny. Pins and needles? 216 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,200 Yeah. OK, OK, yeah. 217 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:50,560 He had pins and needles in his left arm 218 00:12:50,560 --> 00:12:53,480 and definitely it was a serious situation. 219 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:58,520 A feeling of pins and needles can be a sign of spinal damage. 220 00:12:58,520 --> 00:12:59,840 Hello, guys. 221 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:05,400 If that damage gets worse, Dammo could be left paralysed. 222 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:07,400 HARRISON: He went headfirst into the sandbank. 223 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:10,240 He heard a crack in his neck straightaway. 224 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:11,680 That's an alarm bell in itself. 225 00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:13,160 So, what was your name again, mate? 226 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:15,360 Dammo. Dammo, nice to meet you, mate. 227 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:17,080 Where are you from? Uh, Tassie, mate. 228 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:18,480 Oh, beautiful part of the world. Yeah. 229 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:21,760 We need to take this very seriously. 230 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:23,360 Alright, mate, what we're going to do, 231 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:25,080 I'm just going get you to lean back. 232 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:26,160 The priority for us 233 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:28,480 was for the patient not to move the head. 234 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:31,120 And that's when I come in straightaway from behind 235 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:33,080 and immobilise that head so he cannot move. 236 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:34,920 Do you want to come and give a bit of support underneath? 237 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:36,320 Yeah. 238 00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:38,000 This moment when we're lowering him down, 239 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:41,280 this is the most delicate situation. 240 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:43,560 One slight move could make the difference 241 00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:44,920 whether he walks again or not. 242 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:49,080 How's that pain? Um, it's OK. 243 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:50,200 It's getting...yeah. 244 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:52,280 Out of 10, being the worst pain ever, 245 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:53,320 what level is that? 246 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:55,960 I'd put it at a seven. A seven, OK. 247 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:59,640 What's the pain? Out-of-ten pain, he gave us a seven. 248 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:02,160 Dammo's from Tassie, he's, you know, he's a tough bugger. 249 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:05,040 If he's telling us it's a seven-out-of-ten pain, 250 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:06,400 this thing's off the Richter scale. 251 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:08,720 We're gonna put some sunnies on you, is that gonna be alright? 252 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:10,720 'Cause that sun's going to be a nightmare on you. 253 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:12,960 There's a particular way we get them on the spinal board. 254 00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:14,520 Don't move, we'll do that for you. 255 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:15,600 It's called a log roll. 256 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:17,120 On the count of three, we're gonna roll, OK? 257 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:18,840 Yeah. One, two, three. 258 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:22,080 I'm always on the head when we're moving him, 259 00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:24,040 so we don't want to make any movements 260 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:26,040 to adjust that spinal alignment. 261 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:27,120 It's not the most comfortable. 262 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:28,880 We also put the head blocks on there, 263 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:31,880 just to eliminate any movement whatsoever. 264 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:35,440 From what he's told me, and from my previous knowledge, 265 00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:37,880 you know, I'm fearing for the worst for him. 266 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:39,880 I know that something is seriously wrong, 267 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:41,920 and I know he's done damage. 268 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:43,680 How's those pins and needles, still the same? 269 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:45,040 Yeah, it's just all down this arm. 270 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:46,080 Yeah. This this thumb. 271 00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:48,240 Yeah. And my hand is cold. 272 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:51,880 Obviously his wife there as well, it'd be very daunting for her 273 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:54,920 because you don't want to see anyone in that position, 274 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:56,280 let alone your loved ones, 275 00:14:56,280 --> 00:14:58,520 so, the best thing we can do is just reassure. 276 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:05,720 This is not the way to go about it, eh? 277 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:07,000 It's a freak accident. 278 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:11,240 That's where it makes me feel sick inside, unfortunately. 279 00:15:11,240 --> 00:15:12,800 Well, I was catching a few waves, 280 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:14,760 body surfing in and then going back out, 281 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:18,120 and, yeah, I seen a couple of decent ones come through, 282 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:19,880 and then I caught the crest of it, 283 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:22,400 and it just dumped me into the bottom, hard. 284 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:26,720 Um, it was my neck that just went, yeah, "Crunch." 285 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:27,880 As soon as I... 286 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:30,080 As soon as that happened, pretty much, I got pins and needles 287 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:31,800 in my thumb and all down my left arm. 288 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:35,240 And before I'd even come to the surface, 289 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:36,280 I knew something was wrong. 290 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:40,960 Just come down to see the beach because I've never been here before 291 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:41,960 never been to Sydney, 292 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:44,480 so I thought I couldn't go to Sydney without seeing Bondi. 293 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:47,200 So, yeah, here I am. 294 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:52,240 For something really serious like this, I mean, you know, 295 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:54,000 we're lucky we've got a lot of knowledge down here, 296 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:57,720 but seeing the paramedics turn up for this is a big relief 297 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:00,080 because he's in a lot of pain. 298 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:02,400 Just hold it in your mouth, so you can have your hands free. 299 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:05,520 That's when the paramedics administer the green whistle. 300 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:08,960 That's just going to mask the pain. 301 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:12,360 One, two, three. Go. 302 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:14,640 Whoa! 303 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:18,040 Spinals are the ones that really affect me. 304 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:23,680 Knowing how serious Dammo's situation was, 305 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:26,240 I don't know the extent of the damage he's done, 306 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:28,280 but I know there's definitely something. 307 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:31,800 Could be could never walk again. 308 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:40,560 Four weeks later, we had a FaceTime with Dammo. 309 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:42,760 I was bracing myself for the worst. 310 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:45,000 Oh, wow! 311 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:46,400 Dammo, how are you going? 312 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:47,920 What was the result in the end? 313 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:04,880 Yeah. 314 00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:13,880 Yeah. 315 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:21,000 Yeah. Ugh! 316 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:22,040 Mate! 317 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:29,240 I'm so glad we took those precautions. 318 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:32,680 It's the best outcome out of, you know, the worst situation, 319 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:34,400 which is a, which is a blessing. 320 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:36,480 Thanks, Dammo, mate. Good to chat. See ya, mate. 321 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:38,240 Take care. Cheers, mate. 322 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:39,240 Thanks, mate. Bye. 323 00:17:48,880 --> 00:17:51,320 NARRATOR: One of the trickiest parts of being a lifeguard 324 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:54,040 is knowing when to call it a day. 325 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:56,760 Beachgoers don't always keep lifeguard hours. 326 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:01,520 We finish at 7:00 on the dot. 327 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:02,760 It's this fine line, 328 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:06,880 like, when do we shut and lock up the gear shed down below? 329 00:18:17,560 --> 00:18:20,000 Nothing happens in that last kind of hour and a half, 330 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:21,760 then in the last three minutes before we leave, 331 00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:23,640 it's like everyone wants to go out and drown. 332 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:30,120 The lifeguards have a little in-joke, after you've packed up, 333 00:18:30,120 --> 00:18:31,680 don't look back at the ocean. 334 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:33,960 Just face west and walk away. 335 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:39,160 On this afternoon, though, Harrison looks east. 336 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:41,560 I just happened to look down at Backpackers' 337 00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:44,200 and I just see these heads struggling. 338 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:48,240 Hey, Troy, are you unhooked down there, mate? 339 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:50,280 The beach is packed up, everything's away 340 00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:52,480 and there was only one buggy left on the beach. 341 00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:57,040 And it was Maxi, about 500m up at North Bondi. 342 00:18:59,120 --> 00:19:03,200 We were packing up and we forgot to close the North Bondi Tower. 343 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:04,600 Harrison got on the radio and said, 344 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:07,320 "Oh, there's a couple of heads in Backpackers'. 345 00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:08,680 "They're starting to drift out." 346 00:19:10,360 --> 00:19:11,840 Yeah, bruv, I'm on my way down. 347 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:14,920 Thanks, mate, yeah, Backpackers'. 348 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:19,480 As soon as I started making my way back, 349 00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:21,160 he called, "Yeah, they're starting to go." 350 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:26,000 So, I had to pin it. 351 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:28,840 (HORN HONKS) 352 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:35,560 Honestly, it was like a scene out of Top Gun... 353 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:39,560 ..when they see the fighter jets fly past, 354 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:41,880 Maxi just comes hooking past. 355 00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:47,960 Maxi has to cover nearly a kilometre. 356 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:50,240 I did have tunnel vision of getting to Backpackers' 357 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:51,920 as quickly as possible. 358 00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:54,600 With every passing second, 359 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:57,240 a struggling swimmer is closer to drowning. 360 00:19:57,240 --> 00:19:59,160 How quick things can go bad? 361 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:01,640 It takes less than 30 seconds for someone to drown. 362 00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:17,560 at Bondi's notorious Backpackers' Rip. 363 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:19,480 Maxi just comes hooking past. 364 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:23,000 Help is not far behind. 365 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:27,360 Troy has unlocked the gear shed and grabbed a rescue board. 366 00:20:27,360 --> 00:20:28,760 Is running down. 367 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:30,000 Copy. 368 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:31,880 Faddy fires up the other buggy. 369 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:35,800 (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) 370 00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:36,840 ..probably the worse. 371 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:42,520 The furthest one out in the back looked like 372 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:44,960 she was struggling the most, so I went for her straightaway. 373 00:20:48,360 --> 00:20:50,720 Backpackers' definitely caught a few out today. 374 00:20:56,960 --> 00:20:59,600 So as I got to her, she was panicking a little bit. 375 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:03,040 But once I picked her up, 376 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:05,200 I knew that something wasn't entirely right. 377 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:08,600 (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) 378 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:13,360 It was a bit of a happy, good-vibe-style rescue. 379 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:17,040 She's alive, she survived. 380 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:23,000 Sorry, I'm on mushrooms. 381 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:26,400 Mushrooms? 382 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:28,920 It turns out they were on magic mushrooms... 383 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:31,560 (DISTORTED VOICES) 384 00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:35,800 ..which was interesting. 385 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:42,560 Not being a great swimmer, taking psychedelic mushrooms 386 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:44,000 and going for a swim probably ranks 387 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:46,160 as one of the stupidest things you could do. 388 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:49,280 Yes, just be safe. Thank you. 389 00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:53,760 Did she tell you? Huh? 390 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:55,880 Did she tell you out there? No. 391 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:57,560 She was on magic mushrooms. Was she? 392 00:21:57,560 --> 00:21:59,720 Yeah! She'd have had a ride of her life there. 393 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:01,120 What a trip. What a trip. 394 00:22:02,120 --> 00:22:04,560 I've seen it all in Bondi, but never magic mushrooms. 395 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:06,640 So now it kind of explains why 396 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:10,120 she was so happy and so flowy on the ride in. 397 00:22:10,120 --> 00:22:11,680 Hey! 398 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:13,560 Mate! I was in the zone. 399 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:15,960 I was like, "I'm just going to get there." 400 00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:19,080 Drugs and alcohol do not mix around any sort of waterway 401 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:22,080 because it can turn tragic very quickly. 402 00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:25,200 I live for those rescues, those ones. 403 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:27,680 That was proper hard, North Tower... 404 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:30,040 ..Backpackers'. 405 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:32,360 I'd be really interested to see 406 00:22:32,360 --> 00:22:34,120 what they would have been seeing on this 'trip', 407 00:22:34,120 --> 00:22:37,680 seeing Maxi paddle out to get 'em, was he like some Greek god 408 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:40,480 that's come out from the ocean like Aquaman, 409 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:42,680 or was he some gremlin? We'll never know.