Surf Life Saving NSW is urging beachgoers to understand their limits and to swim at a patrolled beach when visiting the coastline after two deaths inside four hours on Monday 9 January brought the summer coastal drowning toll to 8.
A woman in her 50s was pulled from the water at Gordon’s Bay near Clovelly just after 1.30PM and despite members of the public, lifeguards and paramedics conducting CPR for more than half an hour, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
It came just hours after a man in his 60s was declared deceased after being pulled from the water at Caves Beach, Jervis Bay by members of the public. It’s believed he came into distress while surfing.
Caves Beach is an unpatrolled location while the incident at Gordon’s Bay occurred a short distance from where the red and yellow flags fly at Clovelly.
Warm and fine conditions are predicted up and down the NSW coastline for the remainder of the week – conditions which will see many flock to the beach – and SLSNSW CEO, Steve Pearce wants any potential beachgoers to take stock of the numbers of fatalities so far this summer.
“Since 1 December, volunteer lifesavers and Australian Lifeguard Service lifeguards have performed over 1660 rescues along our coastline,” he said.
“For the summer so far, there have been eight coastal drowning incidents, and each of those have come at an unpatrolled location or away from the red and yellow flags.
“If we can’t see you, we can’t save you. That’s been our message all summer and we really hope that beachgoers ensure that, if they’re visiting the coastline, they swim at a patrolled location between the red and yellow flags.”
The coastal drowning toll for summer currently sits at 8 while there have been 19 fatalities since 1 July 2022.
In NSW, drowning deaths are 2.7 times more likely to occur on a public holiday and 1.6 times more likely during school holidays.
Tuesday 10 January 2023