Emergency services were called to a grassed area at the northern end of the beach at 1.10pm after multiple people witnessed the man being hit by weapons.

It is understood the man was sitting nearby when he was assaulted, before he managed to break away and run.

The area was packed with people at the time, with a large number of witnesses giving differing descriptions of the weapons used in the attack.

Some reported seeing poles, while others said they saw a metal bar or a baseball bat with nails sticking out of it.

Vision filmed on a mobile phone showed the shirtless victim being chased by two men. At one point, when he tripped and fell to the ground, one of the attackers hit him in the head.

Mark Owen told Ten Eyewitness News the group of men used large, round solid pieces of wood in the "brutal" attack.

"And then at the end of it, they were like nails," he said.

Chris O'Neil, who was selling ice cream at the beach, said he saw "some guy beating this other guy with something". The victim ran "for his life" and others rushed to offer him first aid.

"I don't know if it was a metal pole or a wooden, or whatever, but then the guy managed to get away and he ran down here very quick and he fell over," Mr O'Neil said.

"Above his eye his head was completely split open up the side. It didn't look good at all."

Witnesses said the group then jumped into a white car and sped away.

The 34-year-old man suffered head injuries and was taken to St Vincent's Hospital in a stable condition.

Photographs shortly after the attack show the man, who appears to be dazed, lying on the ground as beach-goers and lifeguards apply pressure to his head wounds with a towel.

Police were quickly on the scene. They remained tight-lipped about the exact details of the incident on Thursday afternoon, as they hunted for the perpetrators.

A section of the grass and footpath near where the man was attacked remained taped off as a crime scene several hours later, as uniformed police from the eastern suburbs took photographs and spoke to witnesses.

The man was in a stable condition on Thursday afternoon. It is understood his injuries are not life-threatening.

In a statement, NSW Police said a crime scene has been established following "an altercation between a number of people at Bondi Beach".

"Shortly after 1pm a man suffered injuries after he was assaulted by a group of men," the statement said.

"No further information is available at this time.

"Anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or have information that could assist, should contact officers at Eastern Suburbs Local Area Command."

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