It’s been two months since Bondi Rescue’s darkest day and the lifeguards at Bondi Beach are still struggling to comes to terms with it.
On that day two tourists got into trouble in the Bondi surf, and one man drowned, while a woman was left critically injured.
“As much as we try and try, sometimes we just can’t be there for everybody,” says lifeguard veteran Rod “Kerrbox” Kerr on an episode of Bondi Rescue airing on Anzac Day.
During the episode, those involved speak about what’s been described as the most serious rescue at Bondi in over 70 years.

The lifeguards talk through the desperate struggle to get the two unconscious Norwegian tourists out of the water and the fight to revive them back on the sand.
It was just after 4.30pm when Jethro James, on duty in the tower, spotted trouble in Bondi’s infamous “Backpackers” rip, and sent his fellow lifeguards - Trent 'Singlets' Falson and Corey Oliver - into the water.
“I just saw this cluster of people right out the back of 'Backpackers' where the surfers were and it didn’t look good at all,” Falson says.
“I couldn’t see the patients on the way out. And then I remember coming over the last wave and what I saw next absolutely shocked me to the core.”
Back in the tower, James could see about five swimmers in trouble, including a woman floating on her back.
“Hopefully, it’s not as bad as it looks”, he said into the radio.

Top Comments
Please tell me why an IRB (Inflatable Rescue Boat) was not deployed? Do they have one? The time to deploy an IRB v Board may have been led to a quicker start to CPR for the IRB option. A proper review review must take place to establish how best to minimise the time to start CPR.
The dedication and commitment of those lifeguards deserves every level of accolade and recognition. They save lives every day and you can see how much it means to them when they lose a patient. It makes you feel so lucky to live in a country where we have patrolled beaches with people who dedicate their lives to preserving that of others. All lifeguards and lifesavers deserve the utmost respect and reward for their efforts.
Editorial note - the two patients in the episode were not husband and wife as you have stated. The man was her brother-in-law, married to her sister. This was said in the email they read out at the end of the episode.