A desperate search has resumed for a young man who was swept out to sea during a New Year's Day swim at a popular Sydney beach, as authorities reveal a tragic spate of incidents along the New South Wales coast.
Desperate Rescue Attempt at Coogee
Emergency services were called to Coogee Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs around 6am on Thursday following reports a swimmer was in difficulty. The man, believed to be in his 20s, was caught in treacherous conditions.
In a dramatic rescue attempt captured on camera, NSW Police Constable Lucas Matthews charged into the surf in his full uniform, clutching a flotation device. He was assisting two off-duty lifesavers who were also trying to reach the struggling swimmer. Tragically, the man disappeared beneath the waves just minutes after the rescue effort began.
It was later revealed the missing swimmer is a Nepalese national who has lived in Sydney for four years and worked as a glass collector at the Coogee Pavilion, according to reports.
Hazardous Conditions Halt and Restart Search
The search at Coogee was temporarily suspended on Thursday due to dangerous weather and a large swell, but resumed on Friday despite the continued hazardous conditions.
This incident was not isolated. The drama at Coogee unfolded just two hours after a fatal drowning at nearby Maroubra Beach, less than three kilometres away. There, a 25-year-old Chinese tourist was swept out to sea after a powerful wave knocked her from a tidal rock pool. Her body was recovered about an hour later.
Furthermore, a 14-year-old boy remains missing after a dinghy capsized in massive swell at Palm Beach on Sydney's Northern Beaches on New Year's Eve. In that incident, one man died while another was winched to safety by a rescue helicopter.
A Spate of Incidents Prompts Safety Plea
The New Year period has seen a distressing number of water-related emergencies across NSW. Since Christmas Day, NSW surf lifesavers have performed more than 85 rescues.
Other recent incidents include:
- A 45-year-old woman pulled from the water off Dunbogan Beach on the NSW Mid North Coast on Thursday; efforts to revive her failed.
- Lifeguards rescuing two children at Puckey's Beach in Wollongong on New Year's Eve, with one requiring CPR.
- A father and three children rescued by surfers at Broulee on the NSW South Coast.
- A group of children rescued by bystanders in Royal National Park.
Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steve Pearce said the scale of incidents had caught everyone off guard. "Yet because of the conditions and the inclement weather, lifeguards and lifesavers - although we had everyone out in force - just did not expect this swathe of drownings and rescues," Mr Pearce stated on Thursday.
He issued a stern warning to the public: "We are pleading for people - do not enter the water today, if that beach is closed." Authorities stress that over the New Year period, the risk of drowning is three times greater than at any other time of the year.
