Man in his 50s is pulled from water after drowning at Crescent Head NSW
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Man drowns at popular surf break after being knocked unconscious in the water
- A man drowns in the popular surf town of Crescent Head
- Aged in his 50s, he was pulled from the waves
- 51 people have died across Australia
A Queensland man died on a beach near the popular New South Wales surf town of Crescent Head, bringing the national summer drowning toll to 51.
The man, believed to be in his 50s, was pulled unconscious from the water at Delicate Nobby around 5 p.m. Tuesday, police said Wednesday.
Members of the public performed CPR until police and paramedics arrived, but the man died at the scene.
He has yet to be formally identified but is believed to be a Queensland man in his 50s.
An aerial view of Crescent Head, with the main surf breaks to the north
The death is the 20th in New South Wales and 51st nationally since December 1, according to Royal Life Saving’s summer drowning count.
Three out of four deaths have been men or children.
It comes as Surf Life Saving Australia warns that the risk of drowning on the Australia Day holiday is four times higher than on any other day of the year.
SLSA executive director Adam Weir suggested the increased danger was due to factors including increased alcohol consumption and crowded beaches, leading people to seek out unknown places.
“We’ve lost 28 people along our coast this summer alone, and all of the drowning deaths occurred outside of the red and yellow flags, either in unpatrolled locations or outside of patrol hours,” Weir said.
Rip currents are the biggest concern and are believed to have contributed to at least half of the drowning deaths during the holiday period.
Seventy-five drownings were recorded nationwide between December 1 and January 24 of last summer.