Riding The Waves | A Bondi Rescue fanfiction

Prologue

It was funny, thought Jasmine, that one place could give both life and death. Many people had died at Bondi Beach. And yet it was the only place she ever felt alive.

Jasmine felt the wave swell underneath her. She always felt calmer when out in the ocean. Something about sitting on a surfboard out in the Pacific ocean made all her troubles disappear. She gazed out across the ocean and saw a larger wave looming. Laying on her board, she began to paddle. As the wave picked her up, she pushed herself to her feet with the skill and elegance that only comes with years of practice. She had been surfing off Bondi since she was 5 years old. Now, at age 12, it was second nature to catch a wave whenever she needed a break from reality.

Jasmine cruised up and down the wave. Just being on a wave made her feel better. Jasmine had immense skill in the surf. If she trained, she could easily be one of the best young surfers in Australia. But she didn't want fame or awards. She surfed to escape, to be on her own. Her father wasn't able to surf. In fact, he could barely swim. That meant that out in the water, she was free.

She gazed at the sun, slowly sinking below the horizon. She would have to head back soon. She sighed. She wished she could stay out here forever. She didn't want to go back to her house. She didn't want to have to face her father, who would be angry that she stayed out so late. She wasn't even meant to be surfing, but she couldn't deal with her father. Not today. He would be sober now, but that didn't mean that she would have a good night.

Jasmine was startled out of her thoughts by the lifeguard on the beach, who announced through a megaphone that it was pack-up time. The lifeguards were going home for the day. Jasmine knew she would have to go home too. She was a very confident swimmer and had never needed a lifeguard's help, but people were wary of a 12-year-old girl surfing on her own, particularly after the lifeguards left. They had approached her once before to ask if she was alright. She didn't want to worry anyone by staying out after the beach closed.

As she paddled in, she watched the lifeguards packing up the beach. A lifeguard further down the beach ran into the water to complete the last rescue of the day. She had always looked up to the Bondi lifeguards. They gave up their time to keep other swimmers safe. She knew that they would have to deal with some idiotic people on the beach, as well as deal with the inevitable, but thankfully rare, resuscitations and drownings. That would surely take a toll on their mental health, and yet they turned up every day to guard the beach.

At the same time, Jasmine envied those who worked in the water. Being able to spend all day on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and get paid for it, would be a dream come true. Jasmine was a very capable swimmer and had all the necessary lifeguarding qualifications. For a moment, she fantasised about working on the beach. But no. She was 12 years old, way too young to be a lifeguard. Besides, her dad was right. She screwed up everything she did. There was no way she would ever be able to do as well as these boys did, she reasoned.

Yet reason wasn't quite enough to stop her from noting the date of the upcoming tryouts.