Wollongong has been named one of the state’s coastal drowning hot spots, with surf lifesavers pleading with beachgoers to help them halt a “concerning trend” of rescues.
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Twenty-three people died in the ocean off beaches in the Wollongong local government area (LGA) during the past 10 years, a recently-released Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW) Coastal Safety Report has revealed.
On top of the deaths, which have seen the Wollongong LGA labelled a “priority black spot”, the Illawarra’s surf lifesavers have been called on to complete an increasing number of rescues and preventative actions.
Volunteer surf lifesavers, who patrol Sundays and public holidays, undertook 468 rescues at beaches between Stanwell Park and Windang during the 2015-16 season – almost 100 more than the previous year.
Preventative actions, such as moving swimmers between the flags and pointing out hazards, also jumped significantly between 2014-15 (7170) and last season (9741).
After a fatality-free 2014-15 surf season, two deaths were recorded in the Wollongong LGA during 2015-16.
In February, a man drowned at Fairy Meadow’s notoriously-dangerous Puckey’s beach. Just a month later, the body of a 21-year-old Queanbeyan man who vanished while swimming at North Wollongong was found in the water.
SLSNSW’s Illawarra duty officer Anthony Turner said Puckey’s was among the region’s black spots, with Wollongong beaches and rock platforms at Port Kembla also known problem areas.
Mr Turner said lifesaving surveillance had been enhanced in those areas and improved signage, warning of dangers, had been erected.
The inaugural SLSNSW report also revealed a jump in the number of people drowning more than 5km from patrolled areas.
The rise in people ignoring the “swim between the flags” message was a “concerning trend”, Mr Turner said.
“A lot of people are just parking their cars and walking straight down to the nearest piece of water they can find,” he said.
The Puckey’s and North Wollongong deaths occurred outside patrolled hours.
With the 2016-17 patrol season kicking off last weekend, Mr Turner urged beachgoers to heed the warnings: “It’s a simple message but, unfortunately, it doesn’t always seem to get out there.”