At the beginning of a new rescue summer season, the boys seriously consider the shocking experience, a first for Jake, earlier in winter, when a cocksure Japanese swimmer went out too far for help to reach him in time. The Bondi boys are sharper then ever to avoid a repeat the next weeks, and only avoid it last minute. Efforts are doubled to instill on thick-skulled and/or allophone swimmers, especially unskilled tourists, the crucial message to stay safely within the red and yellow flags, yet many wonder off, sometimes idiotically and repeatedly, and must be rescued, like a Nepalese student. Written by KGF Vissers

Like each new rescue summer season, the boys must all pass grueling tests to be admitted to duty. Matt Dee misses the swimming pool maximum time by 9, due to a holiday infection, but makes up brilliantly. The first time in five years, a female passes, an experienced surfer, but new to the job. Gonzo, stuck in the tower due to a serious surfboard-chest-injury, is annoying some mates by 'playing Hoppo' and subjected to a black-eyed prank. On an exceptionally hot and crowded day with high, hence dangerous waves, Hoppo agrees Gonzo must clear the central beach by shark siren when all field staff is over-stretched on the riskier outer beaches. Written by KGF Vissers

It's Christmas, but this year the Santa role falls to Reidy, who is generally felt, despite valiant efforts on the jet-ski, to be embarrassingly less credible or amusing then Yatesy. This season the boys have a recruit all the way from New Zealand, Harrison Reid, who greatly enjoys being Maxi's equally playful house-mate, exchanging goofy Christmas presents like a dictionary of Australian idiom, and soon proves himself as rescuer too. Written by KGF Vissers

It's December 31, normally a calm day before the New Year's Eve merriment, but this year Bondi beach is flooded with beach-goers, hence badly understaffed. When another daredevil incurs bad barnacle cuts falling on Flat Rock, Chapman isn't inclined to free manpower, but luckily paramedic Quinn in on duty and sees that the victim, who loses lots of blood and nearly consciousness, is quickly treated and hospitalized. Written by KGF Vissers

The year 2014 starts terribly busy, with many rescues and even a thefts wave without sufficient proof to arrest the suspect teenage gang. Yet the Bondi boys concentrate on positive sides, such as funny-looking rescues with victims positioned wrongly on the board in Taco's face, and eager rookie Harrison enjoys the endless learning opportunities, but for some injured swimmers it's a crucible. Written by KGF Vissers

It's a rainy day, and as several Bondi boys recall, that invariably seems to spell oddities, in this a floating 'UFO' and, spotted by Harrison, a car which got put of control far into the beach after the senior driver had seizure. Taco is fearful of his upcoming rookie evaluation, hence eager to defend his title no rookie held before in the annual lifeguards challenge, but finishes 'only' fifth due to lack of tactics. Hoppo measures his promising talent, zeal and successes against failures and, worse, lack of maturity. Written by KGF Vissers

Several Bondi boys elaborate on the extra motivation to rescue children, who are least predictable, panic faster and can't hold out as long as adults. For some, becoming fathers themselves boosted sympathy for pan-icing parents of missing brats, even in case of false alert, which nearly gave 'guilty' Yatesy a heart attack. One boy seems in danger of ending up in a wheelchair on his birthday, but thankfully the final diagnosis even allows resuming beach fun. Written by KGF Vissers

Several Bondi boys elaborate on the differences between the sectors in the vast beach, and how working there differs and requires other skills. The rocky north is relatively deserted, as it's unfit for bathing and unpractical for swimming, yet has its own climbing adepts, which occasionally incur serious injuries, even their leader Dimitri who broke many bones at once. The central, safer sections of the beach are busiest, luckily mostly with harmless fun. The south corner looks tranquil, but is rendered dangerous by traitorous currents. Superior surfers Chapman and H are often on duty there and perform board rescues even their colleagues can only admire. Written by KGF Vissers

Sometimes even the well-trained Bondi boys shiver with patients in need of vital medical assistance. Thus a man aged 54 collapses on the beach with a condition climaxing in cardiac arrest. Whippet, Bacon, Chapman, Harrison, Reidy and others care for him and help the paramedics, who call upon a specialist team, with shock therapy and carry the immobilized patient to the mercifully rapid ambulance for successful surgery, as he comes gratefully explain afterward. Another man is in unbearable agony, barely softened by the green whistle, until a skilled paramedic can set his dislocated knee. Written by KGF Vissers

The senior Bondi boys enjoy training and testing juniors, especially trainees, who feel obliged to prove themselves by excessive zeal. Novice Harrison excels in it, on top of excellent performance overall. Harries, himself a manifold favorite prank victim, takes the lead in where Harrison is made to believe the beach-goers must be counted once a year, a time-consuming chore dumped on him and carried out spontaneously twice, too eager to remember his own sunscreen. Written by KGF Vissers

Reidy is convinced to have spotted a dark shark while taking children on a charity jet-ski ride, leading to an alarm while Chapman and other Bondi boys are convinced it must be just a seal. Young Jake has the misfortune a second time to find a floating corpse, no violent death though. Max Ayshford and a colleague, already off duty, are just in time to rescue two drowning men. Handsome, somewhat vain Bishop's colleagues elaborate on his canning ability to keep his well-groomed hair dry even after a taxing rescue. Written by KGF Vissers

The boys enjoy telling how diversely people react when rescued, some even enjoy the 'surf lift' as much as a roller-coaster ride. Hoppo agrees to let the team test for a month Reidy's alleged miracle cure, combining exercise and a strict diet, even imposes fancy push-up punishments for cheaters and decrees the looser must clean the toilets for a month. Gonzo wins, Maxi is caught feasting with Hoppo, who also looses least weight. Written by KGF Vissers