Following a series of incidents on NSW waters on New Year Day, authorities advised people to avoid the ocean due to dangerous conditions, and three people have died and two others are still missing.
Two women and a man were among the dead, and separate searches are still underway for a teenage boy who was involved in a boat capsize and a missing swimmer off the eastern suburbs of Sydney.
The latest fatality occurred at Maroubra in Sydney’s east in the early hours of Thursday, after emergency services were called about 4 AM to reports a person had been swept into the ocean.
Police were told a 25 year old woman was struck by a wave and knocked into a tidal rock pool before being carried further out by the swell.
She was located about an hour later and could not be revived.
Less than two hours later, another alarm was raised at Coogee Beach, which is not far from Little Bay, after a swimmer thought to be in his 20s got into trouble in the water around 6 AM.
Two other men who were with him were rescued and a police officer entered the surf to help as lifesavers and other emergency crews began to search for the missing man and he had not been found.
Further north a 45 year old woman died at Dunbogan Beach on the Mid North Coast on Thursday afternoon. She was pulled from the water by members of the public, who began CPR but she was declared dead at the scene.
Surf warnings lead to beach closures
These came as the large swells and strong surf were pushing authorities to shut down the beaches and advise people to stay away from the coastline.
Among the Randwick Lifeguard updates were the closures of several beaches in the Eastern Suburbs of Maroubra and Malabar due to extremely dangerous conditions.
Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steven Pearce explained that the last week had been extremely hectic for lifesavers with dozens of incidents since Christmas Day alone.
In a statement reported by AAP, Pearce added, “Already we have witnessed a level of tragedy that will affect numerous families and first responders.”
However, the missing swimmer is not the only person who remains unaccounted for. Another search operation happened off the coast of Palm Beach.
One person was retrieved from the water by surf lifesavers who were with him for some time before he passed away.
Still missing is the 14 year old boy who could have been with the victims in the boat, however, one man managed to make his way to the rocks on the coast and was flown to the hospital in a stable condition.
The emergency services have also appealed to beachgoers and boats to abide by the closure.
Warning notices and that conditions remain dangerous along the coastline throughout the New Year holiday period.
