A man aged in his 20s has died after being pulled from the water by fellow beachgoers at a Byron Bay beach early this morning.
It is the second suspected drowning death in New South Wales in 24 hours, after a young woman believed to have been on her honeymoon died at Shelly Beach in Manly yesterday afternoon.
In this morning’s incident, the man was pulled from the water unconscious and not breathing at Tallow Beach shortly before 7.30am.
Surf life savers were called and performed CPR, but he was unable to be revived and he was declared dead at the scene.
Eleven people have drowned at NSW beaches so far this summer, but the figure since July 1 is significantly higher at 33 – up from 19 for the same time the previous year.
Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steve Pearce said the latest two incidents are a warning to all potential beachgoers.
“This has been a devastating 24 hours for NSW,” he said.
“Every coastal drowning is a tragedy, but to have two in such a short space of time is a tough reflection on how risky it can be to enter the water.
“Once again, both of these drownings have occurred at unpatrolled locations and we really must reiterate that if you plan to visit the coastline, the safest thing you can do is head to a beach where you see the red and yellow flags flying.”
