The search continues for a man swept out to sea while rescuing a family member on the NSW far south coast.
Emergency services were called to Congo Beach about 40km south of Bateman’s Bay following reports a man had gone missing in the water about 3.30pm on Boxing Day.
Officers were informed the 19-year-old man had swum out to rescue a family member who was experiencing difficulties in the surf.
Police said he became caught in a rip and was swept out to sea.
A search began immediately but the man could not be found.
Multi-agency efforts resumed on Wednesday, involving police, PolAir, Marine Area Command, surf lifesavers, Marine Rescue NSW and a rescue helicopter.
Rescue vessels conducted a contour line search off the beach, focusing on an area from Pedro Point in the north to Bingie Point in the south.
“Conditions have improved offshore but the water quality is poor with a number of logs floating on the surface,” Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Glenn Sullivan said.
It comes after a man’s body was pulled from the water at Penrith Beach in Sydney’s west on Tuesday evening after a four-hour search.
The man, in his 30s, reportedly fell off a paddleboard and failed to resurface.
NSW Deputy Premier Prue Car described the drowning as a “very tragic set of circumstances”.
“Even though it is the subject of a coronial investigation, we believe it was a tragic set of circumstances,” she told reporters in Sydney.
Ms Car said she did not believe there are any safety concerns at the beach, which opened last week and will remain closed for Wednesday.
“Lifeguards were there at the time and at the moment we’re led to believe that it just was a tragic set of circumstances,” she said.
“It wasn’t a question of whether it was safe at the beach or not.”
The drowning is the third on NSW beaches in two days after two men died in separate incidents on the Central Coast on Monday.
Across Australia 22 people have drowned since December 1, according to the Royal Life Saving Society.
“The period between Christmas and New year is often the deadliest for drowning in waterways right across the country,” chief executive Justin Scarr said.
“Last year we lost 25 people between Christmas Day and New Years day.”
With forecasts of more hot weather, Mr Scarr said he was concerned it could be an even deadlier period this summer.
“Millions of Australians are heading off for their annual summer holiday and they’re going increasingly to unfamiliar locations in regional areas where they may not have been previously or where they’re unaware of the dangers,” he said.
Referring to the circumstances surrounding the swimmer swept to sea, the veteran life saver said people should look for patrolled areas to swim.
“A rescuer drowning is tragically common at this time of year,” he added.
“If people see someone in trouble it’s important that they look for lifeguards. In the absence of lifeguards you need to be a very strong swimmer, and you need to take something like a surfboard with you to initiate a rescue.”
