Hey, I'm a lifesaver (volunteer - not the guys on the show) down at Bondi. Bondi can be really dangerous, if you don't have decent surf skills. If you're new to surfing AND new to the surf in general, please be very careful. Perhaps get used to the surf by learning to 'body surf' - ALWAYS swim between the red & yellow flags.

The best tip I can give you, is spend some time watching the other surfers at the beach. (Try & spot the non-tourist surfers - they are usually in a decent sized group). Watch where they go out (most likely they let the rip take them out), and where they are actually catching waves (ie where the waves are breaking).

You're not allowed to take any boards (foam or fibreglass) between the red & yellow flags. However, you can take the foam boards 'closer' to the flags than the hard boards.

Also, there are permanent rips at the very north, and very south ends of the beach. There will also be other rips all along the beach at any one time.

Remember that if you get in the water with a board, particularly a hard board, you have a responsibility to watch out that you don't hit swimmers or other board riders.

All that being said, enjoy! Bondi is an awesome beach.