A man drowned off a South Coast beach yesterday, prompting warnings about the dangers of swimming in unpatrolled waters.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The man, who was pulled from the water near Bawley Point, was the second to drown at an unpatrolled beach on the South Coast within the space of a week after the death of 30-year-old Canberran James Goodrum on Christmas Eve.
The man, aged in his 50s to 60s, was pulled unconscious from the water at Racecourse Beach by members of the public some time before 7.30am yesterday.
Passers-by performed CPR until police and NSW Ambulance officers arrived but the man could not be revived.
Far South Coast director of Surf Lifesaving Andrew Edmunds said it was unclear how the man came to be found floating face down, but said the danger was always higher at unpatrolled beaches.
''I've lost count of how many people we've pulled out of unpatrolled areas,'' he said.
''It's the majority of our rescues ... If you swim at unpatrolled beaches, you really can be putting your life at risk. It's not worth the gamble.''
The number of drowning cases now stands at seven for the South Coast area since the season began in September and Mr Edmunds said the number of rescues continued to rise.
''It's now over the 60 mark,'' he said. ''This time last year we had 44.''
He said the number of swimmers getting into trouble had been heightened by rough conditions, as experienced at Bawley Point yesterday.
''It was very big surf, very dangerous, especially considering its remoteness,'' he said.
''If something does go wrong like it did, it takes a very long time for rescuers to get there.''
A witness to the rescue said the man had been camping near the beach, which was signposted as treacherous.
She said her family had raced to the shore when they heard the helicopters.
She said many holiday makers had been scared to return to the rough waters.
The dangerous swells that hit the South Coast over the past week have begun to subside.
Offshore swells of up to 4m were seen across the South Coast, as ex-tropical cyclone Fina hit the state.
The ex-tropical cyclone generated dangerous conditions from Christmas Eve through to Wednesday, according to Weatherzone meteorologist Doug Fenton.
''The swell has been particularly large over the Christmas period [but] they've dropped back,'' Mr Fenton said.
''We were getting 3m to 4m offshore swells, so that's certainly dangerous conditions.''
Next week is forecast to be warm and sunny around Batemans Bay, as a hot air mass moves in from Australia's north-west. A light morning shower was expected early today, but the outlook was otherwise positive.
''Early next week, it's getting into upper 20s ... a lot of heat has been building in the country's north-west, and that's all moving to the south-east now,'' Mr Fenton said.
This reporter is on Twitter: @stephanieando
