Inside the desperate final moments of a brave father who drowned at a crowded beach – as heartbroken family reveal his heroic final act
A final poignant moment has been revealed of a hero father who drowned while rescuing four children from a crack.
Authorities rushed to Carlton Beach in southern Tasmania about 1pm on Sunday after reports that a group of swimmers were struggling in strong currents.
Emergency workers and lifeguards pulled five swimmers, including four children, from the water.
Paramedics performed CPR on a 38-year-old man from Brighton but he could not be revived.
Shattered relatives have since identified the man as local father Shaun Allen, who was one of four men killed in separate water-related incidents on Sunday.
The young family members he saved survived the ordeal and did not require further medical attention.
“Unfortunately, today we, the Allen family, lost Shaun Allen to the great beyond,” his brother wrote online.
“He paid the ultimate price while saving two children from a rip in Carlton Beach. He will be missed, but never forgotten and forever in our hearts.”
Emergency services and surf lifesavers rushed to the aid of a group at Carlton Beach before a 38-year-old man lost consciousness and could not be revived
Carlton Beach is the most patrolled, but is known for dangerous currents on one side
Police revealed that Mr Allen briefly regained consciousness as he was dragged from the water.
“I understand he was actually conscious when he was put in the boat but unfortunately he became unconscious afterwards and CPR was commenced at that point,” Detective Inspector Darren Latham Latham told reporters.
“From there I understand that paramedics then attended and continued CPR on the beach.”
“Unfortunately he died at the scene.”
It is understood the swimmers got into trouble on an unsupervised part of the beach, well outside the red and yellow flags. Nine news reported.
The tragedy has prompted a new warning to beachgoers against swimming between the flags during the holiday period.
He said Carlton Beach “like any beach, there can be dangerous areas.”
“As the investigation is still very early we need to establish where the children were at the time and how they got themselves into trouble,” Inspector Latham said.
“Suffice it to say, they got into trouble, which then led this man to attempt a rescue.”
At least 31 people have drowned in Australia since summer began on December 1 – more than one a day.
Dr. Mohammad Swapan and his wife Sabrina Ahmed died trying to save their youngest daughter at Conspicuous Cliff Beach
The couple’s two daughters were left orphaned by the tragic ordeal on Saturday afternoon
Mr Allen was one of four men killed in separate water incidents on Sunday.
A 21-year-old man swimming in the popular Pine Island section of the Murumbidgee River near Canberra also drowned.
Shocked witnesses told the ABC they heard the man screaming before authorities asked her and other swimmers to leave the area.
A 55-year-old Brisbane man, 55, also died after falling from a waterfall near Cairns in far north Queensland.
Emergency services arrived at Behana Gorge but the man could not be located, prompting a search and rescue operation.
The man’s body was discovered about an hour later.
On the Gold Coast, student Manaia Tither-Asiata, 18, also died in a 15-metre fall after allegedly using a rope swing at the Coomera River.
Mr Tither-Asiata suffered serious head, chest and pelvic injuries and could not be resuscitated.
The latest drowning follows the tragic deaths of university professor Dr Mohammad Swapan, 44, and his wife Sabrina Ahmed, 40, in the south-west of Western Australia.
An 18-year-old man lost his life on Sunday after falling from a rope swing on the Coomera River near the Gold Coast during a spate of water accidents over the festive period
Luca Bennett was swept off the rocks at Avoca Beach, Central Coast NSW on Christmas Eve before his body was found four days later
The Perth couple dove into the water on Saturday afternoon to save their youngest daughter from a dangerous rip at Conspicuous Beach near Walpole before getting into trouble themselves.
A friend of the couple, who was among those who tried to save the couple, was revived at the scene and is in a stable condition in hospital.
The couple’s youngest daughter survived the ordeal and has since returned home with her sister to stay with relatives.
The couple were respected members of the Bangladeshi community in Perth, where Dr Swapan was an associate professor at Curtin University.
In NSW, the body of teenager Luca Bennett was recovered last week after he was swept off the rocks at North Avoca on the Central Coast on Christmas Eve.
The 15-year-old aspiring basketball player was one of three teenagers swept into the sea when the group was hit by a wave.
His body was found several days later.
Surf Life Saving Australia CEO Adam Weir said volunteer surf lifesavers will be active this summer in a desperate bid to prevent more tragedies.
“To enjoy our beaches, we want to ensure that people only swim on patrolled beaches and make safety their top priority,” he said.
‘The risk of drowning is more than four times higher during the summer holidays, which is due to people taking more risks, avoiding the busy patrolled beaches and combining alcohol/drugs with swimming. It’s a risky combination.’
Royal Life Saving Society CEO Justin Scarr said Australians should remain extra vigilant around water during the treacherous week to New Year’s Eve, where one in four annual drownings could occur.
“Drownings happen everywhere and wherever there is water, people are generally relaxing and enjoying themselves at this time of year, but it is very important that they keep a constant eye on their children, but also understand their swimming skills,” she said. he to ABC’s Radio National.