Bondi Rescue star and Head Lifeguard Bruce 'Hoppo' Hopkins launched his 2025 water safety campaign on Friday 22 November and welcomed Her Excellency, The Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, General of Australia to Bondi to learn about the Float to Survive initiative. Hosted by Hopkins and Ian Darling AO, Executive Director of Shark Island Productions, Her Excellency was given a demonstration of the Float technique used in the rip at Bondi Beach.
The message is clear 'Float to Survive' can save your life. If you get in trouble in any water way from the ocean, pool, river, or dam, stop swimming and float.
The summer launch follows alarming figures from the 2024 National Drowning Report, which shows drownings up 16 per cent in the past year, compared to the 10-year average.
"There are a lot of preventative measures, but nothing about what to do in the water, I have been a professional lifeguard for 32 years and everyone I have rescued can swim to some degree. If they can't stand up in water, the first thing people tend to do is try to swim fast, perhaps against the flow. People drown when they get exhausted. Said, Hopkins.
"Floating is a water safety skill that is non-negotiable. The longer you stay afloat … the more chance of rescue."
The Governor-General was invited to attend the demonstration on Friday and spent over an hour with Hoppo and the Float to Survive team.
"It was a pleasure to meet Hoppo and his incredible team. 'Float to Survive' is a wonderful initiative and an important message to everyone heading into the water this summer. Hoppo's initiative is such a powerful act of care and kindness – and will save lives," the Governor-General said.
This year, Shark Island Productions (The Pool) has entered a philanthropic partnership with Surf Educators International to enable Float to Survive to promote the message nationally.
To kick off the summer campaign, Hoppo has spearheaded a national program with Belgravia Leisure to equip 60,000 GOswim students with the skills to stay afloat in emergency aquatic situations. 250,000 swim lessons around Australia will start with five minutes of float training, focusing on Hoppo's five step Float to Survive strategy.
