Tragedy Strikes at Lobster Bay Beach: Fourth Drowning in NSW Since New Year’s Eve as Spearfisherman Dies in Frightening Accident
- A 50-year-old spearfisherman has died after becoming tangled in a float line while fishing off the NSW South Coast.
- The tragic incident occurred at Lobster Bay Beach, near Currarong, on Friday afternoon, sparking a desperate rescue effort.
- It’s the fourth drowning in the state since New Year’s Eve, with authorities urging people to exercise extreme caution when swimming at unpatrolled beaches.
- A report will be prepared for the coroner as police investigate the circumstances surrounding the man’s death.
In a heartbreaking development, a spearfisherman has lost his life in a terrifying accident off the NSW South Coast. The 50-year-old man was pulled from the water at Lobster Bay Beach, near Currarong, on Friday afternoon after becoming tangled in a float line while fishing.
Emergency services were called to the scene at about 12:40pm, with off-duty lifesavers pulling the man from the water. Despite desperate attempts to revive him, the man died at the scene, leaving his family and the local community in shock.
Surf lifesavers say the man was spearfishing with another man when he became entangled in the float line, taking in water before he drowned. NSW Ambulance services and a rescue helicopter responded, with paramedics performing CPR, but unfortunately, it was too late.
Police have established a crime scene and an investigation has started, with South Coast Police District Acting Inspector Teneille Keith urging people to make a plan before getting into the water. “While we have welcomed a beautiful summer, it is also the peak season of drowning incidents,” she warned.
“Please stay alert to the weather conditions and decide whether you should go into the water. Severe weather is a big challenge, even to experienced divers.”
The death is the state’s fourth drowning since New Year’s Eve, with authorities calling on the public to swim at patrolled beaches. “Unfortunately, all drownings so far this summer have occurred at unpatrolled locations,” said Brent Manieri, general manager of public safety and emergency management at Surf Life Saving NSW.
“When we’ve got responses to unpatrolled locations, that obviously holds up our ability to effect rescues, but also to provide first aid and CPR. We’re really pleading with the community to work with us over the rest of the summer period to ensure that they find a patrolled location.”