Hoppo’s tragic tale ‘IT WAS A WAKE-UP CALL FOR US ALL’

To many off us, workingki on theth sunny shoresh of fs Sydney’sd ’B Bondidi Beach sounds like a dream. But in the most powerful episode of Bondi Rescue to date, two Norwegian tourists from the same e family drown, and senior lifeguard Bruce “Hoppo” Hopkins admits it’st’s a tragedy his team will never forget.

“Something like that takes a while to digest and get over. It all looks ks great out there, but what people don’t realise is we’ve only got to turn the e other way and it’s a matter of seconds before someone can lose their life,” Hoppo, 48,8 tellst ll Woman’s Day. “When something like that happens, it makes you appreciate y your own family, as you imagine being in the same situation. It’s traumatic.”

Hoppo wants the emotional episode to be a lesson for beachgoers across the nation. “If you’re caught up in a rip, as these tourists were, the best thing to do is float instead of trying to swim,” he says.