Exactly a year ago, something happened at Bondi Beach that changed the way I think about lifesaving forever.
It was a warm Saturday evening, and we were up at the Bondi Pavilion, celebrating birthdays for two lifesavers. There were about 30 of us up on the balcony, right in the middle of Bondi Beach, enjoying the sunset.
As the sun started setting, an ambulance pulled up near the skate park at the south end of the beach. A few of us looked around, but we couldn’t see anyone in trouble in the water. We assumed it was a skateboarding accident and went back to chatting.
About 20–30 minutes later, I headed home for dinner just up the street. As I sat down to eat, sirens screamed past my house. Sirens aren’t unusual for Bondi, but something about this time made me pause.
I logged into the surf camera that faces the south end of Bondi, and that’s when I saw it all unfolding. By now, it was dark, and I could see an emergency officer on the beach with a flashlight, shining it out over the waves. Then I saw them—three heads bobbing in the water, sometimes going under, barely keeping afloat.
Those three teenagers had been in the water for over half an hour. The three of them ended up being rescued and the teenage girl was pulled out unconscious.

What shook me most was knowing how close we were to helping. Thirty or so lifesavers were just metres away, but none of us knew those teens were in trouble. If we had, we could’ve been out there in minutes.
This isn’t rare. Bondi is one of the safest beaches during patrol hours, but once the flags come down, things change. After-hours rescues depend on luck—whether someone notices a swimmer in trouble. And if no one does, it can quickly turn into a tragedy.
The stats back this up. Last year, every single coastal drowning in Australia happened outside patrol hours or on unpatrolled beaches. And most of those were caused by rip currents, like the one those teenagers were caught in.
The next day, this incident made the news. It highlighted the dangers of rip currents and the risks of swimming outside of patrol hours. You can watch the news story here.
That night stuck with me. I couldn’t shake the thought, What if there was a way to keep an eye on the ocean all the time? I reached out to one of my friends, Julian, who’s a brilliant engineer and shared my frustration.

That conversation snowballed. Julian saw the potential and mentioned it to another engineering friend, Bryan. Overnight—literally overnight—Bryan threw together a prototype. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to prove the concept. The three of us connected over our shared nerdy interests and our love for the ocean; we realised we’d make a solid team. From that moment, ResQVision was born.
Over the past year, we’ve been building tech driven by AI to monitor the ocean 24/7. Our system can detect rips, track swimmers, and alert first responders the moment someone’s in trouble. It’s about filling the gap where there aren’t qualified people watching - unpatrolled beaches and when the flags come down.
I’m a big believer in prevention—swim between the flags, float to survive, and educate yourself about the ocean. These efforts have made a difference. Preventative actions are up by 39% in the past decade, and rescues are down by 13%. But drownings are up by 12%, and every single one last year happened outside patrol hours or on unpatrolled beaches.
That’s where ResQVision comes in. It’s not just about technology—it’s about making sure no one goes unseen, no matter the time of day.
If this story resonates with you, please share it. The more people know, the closer we are to eliminating preventable drownings around the world.
Call to Action:
Watch the rescue video: Click here to watch on Facebook.
Learn more about ResQVision: Visit our website to see how we’re working to make beaches safer.
Get involved: Whether you’re a lifeguard, lifesaver, part of a council, or just care about ocean safety, let’s chat.
This is just the beginning.
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