THE vicious beating of a man by a gang armed with nail-studded baseball bats appeared premeditated, said lifeguards who treated him at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

Bruce ‘Hoppo’ Hopkins, star of Bondi Rescue, told news.com.au: “It wasn’t a random attack.

“A male was sitting on North Bondi hill and a group of males got out of a white Mercedes and had baseball bats with nails in the bats and started hitting him.

“It all went mad.”

On Friday, NSW Police said they would be undertaking a “thorough investigation” into the bloody incident witnessed by scores of beachgoers at one of Australia’s top tourist attractions.

“Such incidents that put individuals and the community at risk and create fear will not be tolerated,” Detective Inspector Tim Bayly, Crime Manager from Eastern Suburbs Local Area Command, said.

Police did not confirm the weapons used, said to also include an axe and metal bar. They also did not rule out a link to violent outlaw bikie gangs.

“All aspects of the investigation will be considered. We’re considering all the information that’s been provided,” he told reporters.

Police said they want to speak to anyone close to the location, adjacent to the crowded beach, who they have not already been in touch with.

Following the brutal attack, which occurred around 1.15pm at Bidigal Reserve, North Bondi, the men raced back to their car and victim Michael Nicholas, 33, stumbled down to the promenade.

“They weren’t sticking around,” said Mr Hopkins. “Police were called, we were called. The guys gave him first aid. He had some major wounds and he’s obviously in a lot of shock, they couldn’t get much out of him.

“It’s a shocking thing to happen, we don’t want to see this around there. There are a lot of kids around there and families.”

North Bondi: Victim was conscious but appeared dazed as paramedics bandaged a deep cut to his forehead. #7News pic.twitter.com/Fer0bcQ59h — 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) February 16, 2017

Lifeguard Anthony ‘Harries’ Carroll treated Mr Nicholas at the scene and he was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital in an ambulance for X-rays with gashes to his head. The man has now been released from hospital.

In terrifying footage of the attack obtained by 7 News, the men are heard shouting, “Come here!” as they chase after Mr Nicholas and beat him with their weapons on the grassy area at North Bondi.

Mr Nicholas was reportedly sitting with a woman at the time but she had gone by the time lifeguards arrived. Seven reported the attackers had links to bikies and the attack was over a girl

“I saw a guy being beaten with some sort of object,” ice cream vendor Chris O’Neill told the cameras. “Everybody was screaming and shouting and there was chaos.

“He was just running for his life sort of thing, he was just trying to get away. He looked pretty messed up, his face above his eye was in a pretty bad state.”

One witness said the weapons were “psychotic, like movie props”. He said there was a metal pole and a bat wrapped in barbed wire.

A woman said one of the men shoved her and her pram, and she shouted at them, not realising what was happening.

“A few guys seemed to be chasing after them to try and catch them before the police came,” one witness told the Daily Telegraph.

Lifeguard Hopkins told news.com.au that his team handled the daylight attack with professionalism. “We get a lot of body retrievals and suicides, we know how to deal with a lot of situations.”

Bondi attack Bondi attack

A woman who treated the man posted on Facebook that the victim had “severe injuries”.

“This happened in broad daylight on a beautiful Bondi day. Seriously what is going on in the world!? Life must be pretty bad if that is your idea of a good thing to do on a sunny Thursday.”

Detectives are examining the crime scene at North Bondi where a man was assaulted by three men. @2GB873 #bondibeach pic.twitter.com/IP2AvuLZUB — Jessica Nagel (@Jess_Nagel) February 16, 2017

Reports from a witness at North Bondi saying a young man has been attacked "by five men with bats that had nails in the end". — Chris Urquhart (@chrisurquhart) February 16, 2017

A witness told the Wentworth Courier people he heard yelling at the beach.

“I saw the guy who got hit kind of fall over and stumble a bit,” the Bondi resident said.

“The guy with a bat, or a metal rod or something, hit him over the head.

He described them as tall and caucasian, shirtless and wearing board shorts.

“Most people were grabbing their towels and used that to stop the bleeding a bit,” he said.

“His whole face was covered in blood and his hair as well.

Was down at Bondi on an idyllic day and saw all the cop cars and ambulances rush down to the grassy knoll. Awful. https://t.co/MjE4FF3CdG — Dom Knight (@domknight) February 16, 2017

A man has been taken to hospital with head injuries after a daylight assault at Bondi Beach this afternoon. #9News pic.twitter.com/22FuG1wNKs — Nine News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) February 16, 2017

Channel 9 reporter Chris Urquhart tweeted that the scene was “quite sickening” and the incident had been described as an “axe fight” by a witness.

NSW Ambulance Service confirmed a man aged in his 30s sustained head injuries in a suspected assault.

-DID YOU WITNESS THE INCIDENT? Email matt.young2@news.com.au-