Michael Sneddon: Father of six who tragically drowned before his young son on Ettalong beach is identified – as mother issues desperate warning and traumatized witness describes his horrific final moments

The devastated mother of the father-of-six who drowned on a NSW beach while trying to save his son has urged families not to swim at unsupervised beaches.

Father-of-six and Central Coast resident Michael Sneddon was with his 10-year-old son Kody at Ettalong Beach, about 50 meters offshore, when they reportedly became stuck in a rip about 2.30pm on Saturday.

Relatives say Mr Sneddon tried to keep his son above water before beachgoers got to the couple.

However, Mr Sneddon could not be revived by maritime services and paramedics.

Mr Sneddon's mother, Lilian Sneddon-Camilleri, said her son was a “caring father” and “loved his son and his girls”.

The shocked mother said she last spoke to Mr Sneddon on Friday to wish him a Happy New Year, and was still in shock after hearing the news.

'Michael was a hero to me. “He always helped people and was a good kid in school,” she said.

Kody, 10, saw his father go down and tried to help with a group of jet skiers.

One of them, who did not want to be identified, described what happened.

“(Mr. Sneddon's) face was under the water and the child was on top of him, and then I just jumped in,” the man said 9News.

“Another man grabbed the child. I turned the man around and waved the Maritime.

“Maritime came over, threw him on the boat and started CPR. Another man started CPR.

Mr Sneddon's death was the 42nd death in Australian waters this summer.

This time last summer there were 38 deaths.

In light of the tragic accident, Ms Sneddon-Camilleri urged families not to swim at unsupervised beaches such as Ettalong Beach.

On Saturday, rescuers from nearby Ocean Beach and Umina Beach were sent to Ettalong to assist in the rescue effort initiated by bystanders.

“He was a good son, and I loved him. I just want other parents to learn from this. “Do not swim unsupervised and make sure you have safety equipment such as life jackets,” she said.

“I don't want other people to experience this.”

Mr Sneddon's youngest brother, Antonio Sneddon, said he was loved by his extended family, including five siblings.

A statement from the family thanked the emergency services who arrived on the scene and the bystanders on the beach who saved Kody.

“He was a great brother, and to his mother and father, he was a wonderful son. He was a great father to his own children,” it said.

“He is loved by his family and his business colleagues.

'The Sneddon family would like to thank everyone who was first on scene and thank you for saving Michael's son.'

Antonio said the family would invite representatives from NSW Ambulance or LifeSaving NSW to attend his brother's funeral for their assistance on the day.

Witnesses at Ettalong Beach on Saturday said they initially thought it was some other type of emergency when they started hearing screaming in the surf.

“They were screaming at us from the water…I think there's a shark in the water,” one said.

The father's death marks a solemn ten days for the Central Coast region after two men drowned on Christmas Day – one on Umina beach and a man in his 80s on Copacabana beach.

Surf Life Saving NSW has confirmed a total of nine deaths along the coast this summer alone.

CEO Steve Pearce said the incident was “devastating news” for the man's family and the community as a whole following the two recent deaths.

“They need time to reflect on these events and grieve the loss of loved ones. We ask the media to give them privacy at this tragic time,” Pearce said.

Hundreds of locals took to social media to share their condolences with the family and those involved in the rescue attempt.

NSW Surf Life Saving manager Oliver Munson said surf life savers wanted to reinforce the message of staying between the red and yellow flags to prevent more of these “tragic incidents” from happening.

“The local Central Coast community will be really affected by these drownings, especially those involved in the rescue and resuscitation efforts,” Mr Munson said.

'It's really about emphasizing the importance of making sure you go to one of these supervised locations (and) stay safe between the flags, whether you're paddling, swimming or bodyboarding.

“We're seeing all these fatalities and they're happening in unpatrolled locations or outside of patrol hours.”