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The husband’s last heroic act before he and his wife drowned on a popular beach as their six-year-old daughter watched in horror from the shore.
- Locals remember the terrifying moment a couple drowned
- Surfer said her husband begged them to save his wife first
Surfers who desperately tried to rescue a drowning couple have revealed how a husband clinging to life begged them to “save his wife first.”
The man plunged into the water at Frazer Beach on the Central Coast Wednesday after his wife was caught in a rip current and swept into deep water.
But almost immediately after he swam in to help her, he too began to fight the strong waves.
The couple, who have yet to be formally identified but believed to be in their 40s, were pulled unconscious from the water at 4:20 p.m. as their six-year-old daughter who suffers from autism watched in horror from the shore.
A couple, believed to be in their 40s, drowned off Frazer Beach on the central New South Wales coast on Wednesday (Frazer Beach file image pictured)
Shaun McKeachie and Bodhi King were watching the waves after work when they heard a cry for help from the ocean.
Despite the “very harsh” conditions, the companions, both builders, ran into the water to try to rescue the panicked man and his wife.
‘(The husband) was distraught, just saying ‘save my wife, save my wife,’ Mr McKeachie said 7NEWS.
The couple pulled the woman out of the water and onto a surfboard to bring her back to shore.
“She wasn’t responding anymore, which wasn’t very nice to see, but we got her ashore and went to help the other guy,” King said.
Local builder Shaun McKeachie and a friend jumped into the water to save the couple.
Frazer Beach is a popular spot for campers and surfers and the area has become a somewhat notorious site for drownings.
Officers with the Tuggerah Lakes Police District are investigating the incident and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
Since December there have been 19 coastal drownings in New South Wales, all on unguarded beaches.
Frazer Beach is a popular spot for campers and surfers, but the The area has become a notorious drowning site, with the two-mile stretch of coastline south of Catherine Hill Bay claiming 20 lives since 2010.