Two surfers pulled a woman from the water at a South Coast beach in Murramarang National Park and tried to resuscitate her, but she could not be saved.
The woman who hasn’t been formally identified and is believed to be in her 40’s died after getting into trouble while reportedly saving her daughter at the unpatrolled Pebbly Beach in Durras North, around 30kms north-east of Batemans Bay though some are disputing that’s what actually happened.
Emergency services arrived around 1:15pm on Tuesday afternoon (March 19), to find two surfers who had managed to drag the woman onto their boards and commenced CPR, before the Westpac helicopter winched her to shore.
NSW Ambulance paramedics continued CPR; however, the woman died at the scene.
Officers from the South Coast Police District will prepare a report for the coroner.
Surf LifeSaving NSW intially said the woman was trying to save her teenage daughter, who was treated by paramedics but is reportedly in a good physical condition.
Between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023, there were nine bystander drownings on the NSW coastline – where a person drowns having initially entered the water in an attempt to rescue another person in distress.
According to Surf Life Saving NSW, this is the second such incident since 1 July 2023. The 10-year average is three.
“All of the 14 coastal drownings over summer have occurred at unpatrolled locations,” a Surf Life Saving NSW spokesperson said.
Surf Life Saving NSW have published the following beach safety tips for the general public.
BEACH SAFETY TIPS
-Always swim between the red and yellow patrol flags, for your nearest patrolled beach check the BeachSafe app or website
-Read the safety signs for information about the beach and ask a lifesaver or lifeguard for safety information
-Always swim with someone else so you can look out for each other, and always supervise children around the water
-Never swim under the influence of alcohol or drugs
-If you need help in the water, stay calm and attract attention by raising one arm
-In an emergency, dial Triple Zero
-For information about patrol times, weather, and beach locations visit the Beachsafe Website or Download the App.
Images: Westpac Surf LifeSaver Helicopter, Google Maps
