Source : Perth Now news
Water safety authorities have issued an urgent warning after three people drowned and another man was rushed to hospital after a horror weekend along the NSW coast.
The deaths at Cabarita Beach on the Far North Coast, Saltwater Beach on the Mid North Coast and Stockton Beach in Newcastle occurred in little more than 24 hours and lifted the state’s coastal and ocean drowning toll since July 1 to eight.
Another man was taken to hospital under emergency conditions after being pulled from the water at East Corrimal in the Illawarra on Sunday.
Surf Life Saving NSW said the weekend had put lifesavers on high alert ahead of red and yellow flags returning to beaches across the state on Saturday, September 26.
More than 21,000 active volunteer patrolling members are preparing to monitor NSW beaches over the next seven months.
“This past weekend – the last weekend before our volunteer patrols begin – was horrific, and I want to pass on my condolences to the families of those involved,” Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steve Pearce said.
“These incidents are another reminder of how important it is to check Beachsafe to find your nearest patrolled location when you visit the coastline.”
The warning comes as the latest national figures show drowning deaths are increasingly occurring outside the traditional summer peak.
The National Drowning Report 2026 recorded 313 drowning deaths across Australia in 2025/26, still 10 per cent above the 10-year average, despite falling from the record 357 deaths the previous year.
NSW recorded 109 drowning deaths, 9 per cent above its 10-year average.
Beaches were the leading drowning location in NSW, accounting for 25 per cent of deaths, followed by rivers and creeks at 19 per cent.
Nationally, rivers and creeks were the leading drowning location, claiming 68 lives, or 22 per cent of the national toll, compared with 66 deaths at beaches.
Inland waterways including rivers, creeks, lakes and dams accounted for 90 deaths nationally in 2025/26.
Longer-term figures also highlight the danger away from the coast, with Royal Life Saving Australia research showing 924 people drowned in inland waterways in the decade to 2020/21.
That represented 34 per cent of all Australian drowning deaths during the period, or an average of 92 deaths a year.
Currents, submerged trees and rocks, sudden changes in depth and cold water are among the hazards in inland waterways, which are also often unpatrolled and can be in areas with limited mobile reception.
The latest national report found October drowning deaths were 71 per cent above the 10-year average, pointing to increased risk outside the traditional summer period.
The weekend’s deaths began at Cabarita Beach on Saturday when a man was pulled from the water and bystanders began CPR.
A Surf Life Saving NSW drone operator retrieved a defibrillator and a shock was delivered before the man was taken to hospital, where he later died.
About 1.45pm on Sunday, emergency services were called to Saltwater Beach, about 18km southeast of Taree, after reports three people were in trouble in the water.
Three men in their 20s were removed from the water but one could not be revived.
The other two were taken to Manning Base Hospital for treatment.
About two hours later, emergency services were called to Stockton Beach after another three men in their 20s got into trouble in the water.
Members of the public helped pull the men from the water and began CPR on one before emergency services arrived.
He could not be revived, while the other two men were taken to John Hunter Hospital as a precaution.
Police have commenced investigations into the Saltwater and Stockton incidents and reports will be prepared for the Coroner.
Mr Pearce urged people heading to unpatrolled beaches to go with another person, ensure they had phone connectivity and carry a flotation device.
“Any time you visit the coastline, but particularly outside of the volunteer patrol season, if you intend to swim at an unpatrolled location, there are some things you can do to look out for your own safety,” he said.
“It’s imperative that you do so with at least one other person with you, there is good phone connectivity at the location, and you have a flotation device with you.”
Water safety authorities also recommend swimming at patrolled beaches between the red and yellow flags, checking conditions before entering the water, avoiding alcohol and drugs and always supervising children around water.
