Thursday 6 April 2023
Surf Lifesavers are urging people to take care around the water this Easter long weekend as volunteers prepare for the biggest weekend since the worst summer in NSW history.
It comes after a man drowned at Narooma yesterday afternoon to bring the year-to-date drowning toll to 45 for NSW.
At approximately 11.33AM on Wednesday 5 April the SLSNSW State Operations Centre was made aware of an incident involving an overturned vessel at Narooma Bar.
One female was alert, conscious and breathing on the shore however a male who was pulled from the water by the Narooma SLSC Call Out Team in an Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB), was declared deceased at then scene after CPR was conducted.
The drowning comes as Easter approaches, as do the school holidays, with lifesavers and lifeguards patrolling right through til ANZAC Day on Tuesday 25 April.
Between 1 December 2022 and 28 February 2023, 28 coastal drownings were recorded in NSW. This eclipsed last summer as the highest drowning toll over the three month period in NSW history.
With temperatures set to hit mid-to-high 20s in certain parts of the state on Friday and Saturday, volunteer lifesavers are expecting large crowds to descend on our beaches.
A cold front should then hit, driving temperatures down and bringing rain across NSW on Sunday.
However, lifesavers are still on high alert as long weekends and, more specifically, public holidays, traditionally bring heightened risk.
In general, coastal drowning risk is more than two times greater on public holidays.
“The volunteer patrol season ends in just a couple of weeks, but that doesn’t mean we are taking an easy approach this weekend,” said Surf Life Saving NSW Director of Lifesaving Joel Wiseman.
“We strongly advise people to head to a patrolled location and please wear a lifejacket if you are fishing.
“Our volunteers are out in force over the next few days and our Support Operations teams are conducting extra roving patrols using jetskis and drones so we are really throwing everything we can at keeping people safe this weekend.”
In the weeks following, Australian Lifeguard Service (ALS) lifeguards will be patrolling right throughout the school holidays in Council regions across the state. Patrol hours for lifeguards are Monday to Friday, 9-5PM.
Council locations include Tweed Shire Council, Byron Shire Council, Ballina Shire Council, Richmond Valley Council, Clarence Valley Council, Bellingen Shire Council, Kempsey Shire Council, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, MidCoast Council, Frazer Park, Northern Beaches Council and Mollymook.
To find your nearest patrolled beach, visit www.beachsafe.org.au or download the Beachsafe App.