Mum drowns trying to save her daughter at Pebbly Beach near Batemans Bay
A mother has died trying to save her daughter at a remote but popular beach in NSW.
Two surfers pulled the woman from the water at Pebbly Beach near Batemans Bay, on the south coast, at around 1pm and dragged her onto their boards.
The surfers began CPR on the woman, believed to be in her 40s, before the Westpac helicopter winched her to shore.
Surf Life Saving NSW said she tried to save her teenage daughter.
A woman has died after drowning at Pebbly Beach near Batemans Bay, on the NSW south coast, when she got into trouble in the water while swimming (photo stock image)
The location of Pebbly Beach in NSW
Paramedics rushed to the scene at around 1.15pm and continued CPR on the mother, but she died at the scene.
Her daughter was able to get out of the water and was treated by ambulance personnel. She is in a stable condition.
Officers from the South Coast Police District will prepare a report for the coroner.
The deaths follow a spate of drownings in NSW, with 36 people drowning at coastal locations since July 1 last year, including 14 deaths over the summer.
This follows two years of increased drowning rates, with 48 deaths occurring between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023, and 52 people dying in the same period between 2021 and 2022.
The NSW Government will convene an expert roundtable bringing together rescue groups, government agencies, water safety experts and NSW Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib to plan a response to the alarming statistics.
Participants will discuss the latest research on beach safety, how messaging can target the most at-risk communities – such as culturally and linguistically diverse groups – and explore whether more resources should be deployed at unpatrolled beaches where several deaths occurred this summer.
In January, Michael Sneddon, a 39-year-old father of six from Central Coast, drowned at Ettalong Beach – an unguarded beach near Woy Woy, while trying to save his son from a rip.
At the time, his mother Lilian Sneddon-Camilleri urged families to avoid unsupervised swimming spots.
The latest incident follows a spate of drownings in the state, with 36 people drowning at coastal locations since July 2023 (Pebbly Beach photo).
While beachgoers and two nearby jet skiers managed to pull Mr Sneddon’s son from the water, he was found unconscious and could not be resuscitated by paramedics.
Steve Pearce, CEO of Surf Life Saving NSW, said raising awareness of the dangers of swimming at unguarded beaches would be a priority.
‘All fourteen coastal drownings during the summer occurred in unattended locations. It is important that we focus on education, early warning of incidents and equipping our lifesavers with the tools they need to respond quickly,” he said.
“Rescuers and lifeguards do a fantastic job, so our focus must be on how we can prevent people from drowning when we can’t be there to prevent these tragedies.”
Mr Dib said he hoped the roundtable would look at ways to raise water safety awareness in communities and other “preventative actions”, as well as assessing current emergency response plans.