Tragedy Strikes NSW Coast: Three Dead, Two Missing in Horror Drowning Spree
- A Sydney hairdresser and mother, Melissa Austin, has been identified as one of the three people who died in a cluster of drownings on the NSW coast.
- A 14-year-old boy and a man in his 20s are still missing after separate incidents at Palm Beach and Coogee Beach.
- Surf Life Saving NSW performed over 85 rescues between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, with treacherous surf conditions closing about 70 beaches across the state.
Panic is gripping the NSW coast after a devastating series of drownings has left three people dead and two others missing. The tragedy has sparked a desperate search and rescue operation, with authorities racing against time to find the missing pair.
Among the victims is Melissa Austin, a 45-year-old Sydney hairdresser and mother, who died at Dunbogan Beach in Camden Haven on the Mid North Coast. Her friend Brett Nipper described her as “the sweetest lady” and said the tight-knit community was in shock over her death.
“Everybody knows her in Berowra, she’s part of the fabric of the place,” he said. “She’s going to be missed.” Ms Austin’s salon in Berowra Heights was closed on Friday, with flowers and candles placed inside in tribute.
Local fisher Chris Lane warned that Dunbogan Beach has a dangerous undertow, saying “it’s not safe enough to climb the rocks at the time as the surge was waist-deep on the beach”. He added that the beach has a strong undertow, making it treacherous in big swell conditions.
In a separate incident, a boat carrying two men and a 14-year-old boy capsized and crashed into rocks at the northern end of Palm Beach on Wednesday. One man was rescued, while another was pulled from the water unresponsive and died at the scene. A large-scale search for the teenager has now entered its third day.
Authorities are also searching for a man in his 20s who got into difficulty while swimming with friends at Coogee Beach on Thursday morning. A uniformed police officer and two off-duty surf lifesavers entered the rough surf and rescued two other men, but the missing man remains unaccounted for.
Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steven Pearce urged beachgoers to swim between the flags this summer, saying “really, it’s been left up to members of the public to try and assist in the first instance”. He added that the drownings occurred at unpatrolled locations during hazardous conditions.
There have been 25 confirmed coastal drowning deaths in NSW since July 1, 2025. The majority of beaches have now reopened, although Coogee Beach remains closed. The Bureau of Meteorology has cancelled its hazardous surf warning for much of the coast, although a strong wind warning remains in place for Eden on the Sapphire Coast expected until Saturday.