From lifesaving to 'soul surfing’: Paul Byrnes tracks the history of surfing and surf movies in Australia.

This clip documents the spectacle of a large surf carnival on Bondi Beach in approximately 1929. The surf clubs march on the sand and lifesavers give a resuscitation demonstration.

An early summer morning on an almost empty Bondi Beach in Sydney.

Medical doctor Yondon Dungu had migrated to Australia with his wife and three children, and had been in Australia for just one week when he drowned at Bondi Beach.

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.