Rescuers are searching for a missing snorkeller off the coast of a small town in Western Australia as authorities in New South Wales continue to hunt for two people who went missing in hazardous surf over the new year.
A 32-year-old man was reported missing while snorkelling at Ledge Point Beach, about 105km north of Perth, at about 3pm on Thursday afternoon, WA police said.
Marine Rescue vessels, jetskis, police air-wing officers and divers were involved in the search for the man, which continued on Friday morning in the water as well as along the beachfront and coastline.
A search also continued on Friday in NSW for a Nepalese man who was reported missing early on Thursday morning at Coogee Beach, Sydney.
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Emergency services were called to the beach at about 6am after reports a man was in trouble in the water.
The Coogee Surf Life Saving club president, Ben Heenan, said on Thursday the man was one of four people who had decided to go for an early morning swim at the beach but who were swept off their feet and out to sea “in a very big rip”.”They tried to make their way back to shore and required assistance,” Heenan said.
“Three of them were able to make it back to shore.Unfortunately, one was unable to return. We immediately commenced a search.”
Coastal patrols also continue to search for a 14-year-old boy who went missing after a dinghy capsized at Palm Beach, north of Sydney.
Two men and the boy were in the vessel when it overturned in rough conditions around Barrenjoey headland about 11.35am on New Year’s Eve.
A man was pulled from the water by surf lifesavers and treated by paramedics but he died at the scene.
A second man was able to climb on to nearby rocks before he was winched to safety by a rescue helicopter and taken to hospital.
Three other people died in separate incidents in waters off the east coast this week, including an Irish man at Whitehaven beach near the Great Barrier Reef, a 25-year-old woman who was swept into the ocean from a Sydney beach, and a 45-year-old woman at Dunbogan beach, near Port Macquarie on NSW’s mid north coast.
Multiple drownings in NSW Prompts Renewed Safety Warnings
Sydney,Australia – A series of drownings along the New South Wales (NSW) coast over the New Year period has prompted urgent safety warnings from Surf Life Saving NSW. At least five people have died in recent days due to hazardous surf conditions, all occurring at unpatrolled beaches.
The Bureau of Meteorology cancelled its hazardous surf warning on Friday for Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle, Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay, after it was in place on New Year’s Day. Though, a strong wind warning remains current for the Eden Coast.
Steven Pearce, CEO of Surf Life Saving NSW, emphasized the hazardous conditions contributing to the tragedies. “All the drownings had occurred in really hazardous surf conditions,” he stated in an interview with ABC news Breakfast. He highlighted that the incidents occurred primarily at unpatrolled locations,leaving rescues to members of the public.
“I just think people just need to be cognisant and take some responsibility for their own personal safety,” Pearce added.
Surf Life Saving NSW is strongly advising beachgoers to swim only at patrolled beaches, staying between the red and yellow flags. These flags indicate areas monitored by qualified lifesavers and lifeguards.
Pearce reiterated the importance of choosing safe locations, stating, “We’re really pleading for people, for the remainder of summer, if you are going to go down to the beaches and you’re away on holidays, it’s so important to find a location where there are lifesavers and lifeguards on duty.”
Data from Surf Life Saving NSW shows a consistent pattern: “every drowning that’s occurred in the last 12 months [has] been at unpatrolled locations, away from red and yellow flags, and away from where there’s skilled and trained lifeguards and lifesavers.”
Sources:
* [https://www.surf lifesaving.com.au/](https://www.surf lifesaving.com.au/) (Surf Life Saving NSW official website – for current safety details and patrolled beach locations)