Surf Life Saving NSW volunteers responded to several major emergency incidents yesterday, Wednesday 9 February, where two men drowned in southern NSW.

At around 10.50am, the SLSNSW State Operations Centre was advised by Marine Area Command that a vessel had capsized at Moruya with three people on board. Volunteer Duty Officers from the Far South Coast Branch responded to find paramedics performing CPR on one patient who sadly could not be revived.

Just before 1.30pm, the State Operations Centre was alerted to two people caught in a rip at Shellharbour South Beach near Wollongong. One person was still missing when South Coast Duty Officers arrived to assist. Inflatable Rescue Boats and jetskis from Warilla Barrack Point and Shellharbour SLSCs and the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter joined the search.

The man was later located and declared deceased.

“Our deepest sympathies are with the families of these two people,” said Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steve Pearce.

“Sadly it appears the drowning toll in NSW just continues to climb this summer, despite the best efforts of our volunteer lifesavers and lifeguards.

“Weather and surf conditions have been unpredictable and often hazardous and we continue to urge people to be cautious around any sort of water, whether you’re swimming, fishing or boating,” he said.

Twenty coastal deaths have been recorded since the start of summer in NSW, up from 12 for the same period last year.

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