Bondi Beach etiquette guide
It’s summer which means it’s time for a reminder on Bondi Beach etiquette. Whilst it comes down to simple respect, unfortunately these simple rules are ignored far too frequently.
Leave your music at home. There’s nowhere on the beach where your music won’t be overheard and whilst you may love the sound of your own Spotify playlist there’s a pretty high chance others won’t.
Swim between the flags. This could not be more obvious but it’s consistently ignored, often by those who need to follow this. It’s simple, swim here to avoid drowning. Here’s more information if you need it.
Don’t fall victim to the backpacker bake. We’ve all seen it, the day one backpacker at Bondi who convinces themselves that they don’t need sunscreen because they never got burnt lying on the Common in London. Lobster red skin is wrong on every level so do what everyone else does and be sun smart.
Park responsibly. We get it. After half an hour of looking for a carpark the threat of a parking ticket starts to look like a risk worth talking. But don’t park across driveways or in a No Parking zone that blocks someone else’s ability to enter or exit their parking space. You wouldn’t believe how often this happens in summer but be warned, you will get that $400 ticket along with a call from the police if you block a driveway. It’s not worth it. Check out our parking guide here - it may help.
No booze. Don’t bring alcohol to the beach and stay away if you’re blind drunk and can’t control yourself. The beach is busy and for everyone - don’t ruin other people’s day by acting like a dick head.
Respect the lifeguards. They are there to protect everyone on the beach and should be treated with respect. Follow their instructions, swim between the flags, surf away from the flags and if you want a chat and they are busy don’t take it personally - they have a job to do. Interested in knowing more about the lifeguards? Click here.
Save yourself from beach rage by choosing your position on the beach carefully. If you want some personal space don’t sit at the far end of North Bondi or between the flags. This area is popular and space is in short supply and you will have families sit right next to you which they have every right to do. If you’d like some space, the middle of the beach or south Bondi is your best bet.
Don’t hover in the Queen Elizabeth Pde beach carpark. On a busy day you’d rather be anywhere else than trying to find a park at the beach. So please don’t make it worse by stopping near the entrance waiting for cars between you and the vehicle in front to leave their spot. It creates gridlock on Campbell Pde and is just a really average thing to do.
Check your pram before leaving North Bondi. There’s normally more than 30 black prams lined up at North Bondi, many the same make and model. You’d be surprised how often the wrong pram is taken which, if you have kids you know can cause chaos when a toddler discovers their favourite pram toy is nowhere to be found.
No foil surfing. You’re going to decapitate someone at such a busy beach so leave it at home.
Don’t do anything that overtly draws attention to yourself. This is broad but is a pretty solid rule. Despite what you may think of yourself people aren’t at the beach to see you. Sure, show off your chiselled body but leave the peacocking away and just try to have fun.
Set your tent up from midway to the back of the beach so you don’t obstruct everyone’s view of the water. That said, if someone does set up a tent in front of you, that’s okay. It’s the beach. It’s public. You’ll be okay.
Don’t smoke. Don’t vape.
No jeans. Unless it’s winter there’s no reason to wear jeans at the beach. Everyone will take pity on you for being so miserable and it will just bring the mood down.
Take your rubbish with you when you leave. There are bins everywhere so you won’t need to walk further than a couple of hundred metres to get rid of it. This one is a no brainer.
Be mindful of the kids. There are little kids everywhere so be considerate when you’re in and around the water.
When bodysurfing be mindful of those in front of you and position yourself, as best you can, to not immediately crash right into someone.
Be considerate, and not a creep, when taking photos. Everyone loves to capture a shot of their day out at Bondi but leave the long lenses behind and just take a couple of quick snaps in the general beach direction before moving on. There’s nothing worse than seeing someone with their professional camera standing in one spot taking pictures of people in the beach. Even worse when they are in jeans (see rule #13).
Finally, we’d love the millions of photos taken each year for Instagram to be tagged @visitbondibeach and #visitbondibeach.
