By Andre Slade – Owner, Ocean Swims

It feels important to pause.

Like many across the country, I’ve been carrying the weight of what happened in Bondi on Sunday. It’s shaken people far beyond that stretch of sand, but for many in the ocean swimming community, it’s hit painfully close to home.

There’s something about where this happened that lands heavily for ocean swimmers. Beaches are our meeting places. They’re where we gather before dawn, where we swap stories after swims, and where friendships and community are built. When something like this happens in such a familiar, well-loved place, especially one as iconic and well used as Bondi, it cuts through differently.

Bondi isn’t just a headline to me. I lived there for well over a decade and I’m a member of Bondi Surf Life Saving Club. I met my wife there, we were married there, and we welcomed our first child there. We built our life around that coastline.

The same park where the festival was taking place is where OceanFit clinics have met for years, and still do. If I were still living in Bondi, there’s a very real chance I would have been nearby that evening.

There’s also a deeply personal layer to this. Many of my friends in Bondi are Jewish, I work closely with Jewish colleagues, and many Jewish swimmers are simply part of our ocean swimming community.

I know many are hurting and grieving right now. My thoughts are with them, and with everyone in the Bondi ocean swimming community affected by this tragedy.

There has been a lot of discussion about heroism in the aftermath, and rightly so. I want to specifically call out the members of North Bondi and Bondi Surf Life Saving Clubs, the Waverley Council lifeguards, and the local surfers.

In moments of crisis, these groups did what they always do. They came together instinctively, looked after one another, and protected their community. It’s the same quiet, consistent care they show day in and day out for swimmers in the water, just amplified in the most difficult of circumstances.

The ocean community is built on trust, shared responsibility, and looking out for the person next to you. That spirit doesn’t stop at the shoreline.

If you’re feeling unsettled, distracted, or heavy, that’s okay. Check in on your swim mates. Reach out. Sit together after a swim a little longer than usual. These small acts matter more than we sometimes realise.

Our thoughts are with Bondi, with the Jewish community, and with everyone who is processing this in their own way. We’re holding you close.