Bondi Rescue - Season 9 (2014)

They are affectionately known as Bondi's Boys in Blue but Bondi's lifeguards may be looking for a new moniker now that a woman has been added to their male-only lifeguard ranks. Former professional surfer Nicola Atherton, 27, is coming to Network TEN's six-time Logie Award-winning series Bondi Rescue, patrolling alongside household names Hoppo, Deano, Maxi and Whippet. A former World Junior Surfing Champion, Nicola was born and bred around the corner from Bondi, at Bronte. Lifeguards believe she has the surfing "chops", but as only the fourth female lifeguard on Bondi she says "the boys will be watching every move, so maintaining my confidence will be the key". Also starting his first season on Bondi is new trainee Harrison Reid. The 19-year-old Kiwi crossed the Tasman three times before he got a foothold in the elite team, only to now become the butt of Kiwi jokes. His first Christmas Day on Bondi is a rainy affair but New Year's Day becomes a baptism of fire in the craziest, most hectic, Bondi kind of way. For all the lifeguards, this season starts on high alert. Just weeks before the official summer kicks off, a Japanese tourist drowns as they try to save him in high seas. The guys who battle to save him, and the team as a whole, struggle with the loss. With stronger rips than usual, the lifeguards have no tolerance for fools. Bondi Rescue has attracted a huge international following and is distributed worldwide, including the US, the UK, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Denmark and now Hong Kong. The lifeguards' larrikin humour teamed with the ability to save lives has charmed beachgoers and viewers alike. There is no doubt Bondi Rescue embodies the Australian spirit, while celebrating the sportsmanship and professionalism of lifeguards, the unsung heroes of our best asset: the beach.