On California’s Far South Coast, volunteer lifesavers drowned a man one day due to extreme heat and crowds of people on the beach.
The Surf Life Saving NSW State Operations Center was notified at approximately 1:30 pm that a man in his 40s was caught in a rift at Handkerchief Beach, an unpatrolled area of Narooma. The man was recovered by an inflatable rescue boat (IRB) after being transported to the location by water by lifeguards from a local club.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was started, but the man was later declared dead at the scene by an NSW ambulance.
After responding to numerous requests for assistance through the SLSNSW State Operations Center over the Christmas period, the New Year brought a similar story, another important one for our beach volunteer lifesavers and lifeguards. The day has come.
Lifesavers carried out multiple large-scale rescues across the state as drownings continued in Shelly Beach and Wamberal on the Central Coast, Shellharbour on the South Coast and Byron Bay on the Far North Coast.
At 6:20 pm, the number of reliefs recorded reached 199 for the day. This is a figure expected to increase significantly when the flag is lowered, with over 6,000 precautionary measures taken.
On the Central Coast, two people were lifted from Wamberal Lagoon by civilians around 12:30 pm and one was later taken to Gosford Hospital. Both were conscious and breathing when paramedics arrived on the scene.
Later, just up the road at Shelly Beach, a 40-year-old man was pulled from the water by lifeguards around 2pm in an unconscious state. He was treated at the scene and taken to hospital.
On the Far North Coast, a man was thrown into the surf shortly before noon before being pulled from the surf by an unconscious but breathing patrolman. The man regained consciousness before being taken by ambulance to Byron Bay Hospital.
Meanwhile, at Shellharbour, just before 2:30pm, an 18-year-old man was pulled out of the water after absorbing a large amount of water, fainting and falling. He was treated by paramedics at the scene.
Highlights of the day’s rescue operations included the salvage of an 8-year-old woman from the sea after a patrol in Terrigal on the Central Coast, two people aboard the Hunter from a rift in Box Beach, and search and rescue crews. Includes success. Surgery on a 62-year-old man in Broken Head on the Far North Coast.
George Shales, President of OAM, SLSNSW, said:
“New Year’s Eve always proves to be a busy time at our beach, and that’s still true today. We ended up recording over 200 rescues in a single day, and this is a lot of work for volunteers.” It’s a testament to the great work they do to keep beachgoers safe.”
Last year, across the state, 25 people died in New South Wales between December 2021 and February 2022, despite higher-than-normal rainfall and reduced beach attendance due to La Niña. was recorded, setting summer coastal and sea drowning records.
In New South Wales, drowning is 2.7 times more likely to occur on public holidays and 1.6 times more likely to occur during school holidays. Often coupled with celebrations with family and friends, year-end holidays can make for the perfect storm.
“The stats really show that SLSNSW needs to push the important surfing safety message that we’ve been working on all year round to get spread across the community,” said George.
“The most important thing when considering going into the water is to do it on a patrolled beach between red and yellow flags.”
Sunday, January 1, 2023
