Investigations are underway into the death of a well-known Yamba man whose body was found in Iluka Bay late last Friday.

Police and the SES were alerted to the body of a man, in the water at Iluka Bay on the evening of Friday, February 2.

The man’s body was recovered by police with the assistance of local SES members.

The 77-year-old local was a surfer and Vietnam veteran who taught many local children how to swim and surf.

The incident brought the Royal Life Saving Australia summer drowning toll since December 1, 2023, to 75, compared with 60 over the same period last year.