When Matthew Hayes decided to pay his respects to the victims of the Bondi shooting, he had no idea he would unite everyone at the vigil in a heartwarming moment.

About 200 people participated in a commemorative swim at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Wednesday to pay tribute to the victims of Sunday's mass shooting.

This was the moment Sydneysiders took back their beach: the Bondi Board Riders and the Salties, the regulars and the occasionals, hundreds from the Jewish community, hundreds more simply wanting to pay their respect and show their solidarity.

With the young man's help, Xu, a 31-year-old recent graduate from Melbourne, and his friend climbed onto the rescue board and were both taken to the beach. When the first shots were fired by the alleged gunmen Naveed and Sajid Akram, Xu's first instinct was that it was to stay in the water, thinking the sand was more unpredictable.