Sydney beach drowning at Gordons Bay: Teenage girls dragged woman, 47, from ocean to start CPR

Three teenagers desperately tried to revive a woman who drowned after suffering a medical episode at one of Sydney’s most popular swimming spots.

The 47-year-old woman was face down in the water when the girls found her in Gordons Bay, next to Clovelly Beach in eastern Sydney, at around 1:40pm on Monday afternoon.

They threw her on the rocks and immediately started giving her CPR.

Lifeguards attended on a jetski a short time later and took over.

Despite her best efforts, she could not be revived.

Surf Lifesaving NSW Sydney branch duty officer Ben Henman said the young women, who were “no more than 15 years old”, did an outstanding job.

A woman has died on one of Sydney’s most popular beaches after being pulled unconscious from the water in Gordons Bay, near Clovelly Beach.

The 47-year-old woman was face down in the water when the girls found her in Gordons Bay, next to Clovelly Beach in eastern Sydney.

The girls lifted her onto the rocks and immediately began CPR. Lifeguards attended on a jet ski a short time later and took over, but she could not be revived.

“She was drawn to three young girls, no older than 15, and they did a fantastic job under the circumstances,” Henman said.

The woman was washed onto rocks halfway between the Clovelly and Gordons Bay access points, Henman added.

“It was difficult to navigate on foot, so having lifeguards there meant we could get there quite quickly since their access was through the water,” he said.

“When the NSW ambulance arrived, they used the Lucas device (a mechanical CPR machine) on the patient, but unfortunately, she was pronounced deceased at the scene.”

A witness said that the police arrived at the scene around 1:30 p.m.

“There was a commotion in a cave that way and then the police came and they brought someone else up on the rocks and we saw them doing CPR,” Ellie Shephard said.

“I think they were doing CPR for about 15 minutes, 20 minutes and then they stopped after that and asked us to get off the rocks.”

Another witness, Annie Elias, took to Facebook to share what she saw.

Life is so fragile. Yesterday I went to Gordon’s Bay in Coogee, it felt like a European hideaway with people lying on the rocks, great music, people enjoying a lovely day swimming and snorkelling.

“The next minute, helicopters and emergency services climb over the rocks to get to the rocks where people were administering CPR.

“God bless the people who tried to help, the police and emergency services people who worked tirelessly for hours to evacuate the water and keep a respectful distance while a helicopter was able to get close enough to transport the person.

“A sobering experience for everyone to look out for each other and stay safe.”

NSW Police say the 47-year-old woman was swimming when she suffered a medical episode

A rescue helicopter was seen at the drowning site as paramedics worked desperately to revive her.

The bathers saw the emergency unfold before their eyes.

Police and paramedics scrambled up the rocks near Gordons Bay to help the woman.

The incident on Monday comes after it was revealed that surf lifeguards completed a ‘staggering’ 1,200 rescues in New South Wales over the Christmas and New Year period, the highest number recorded in the last five years.

Lifeguards and lifeguards carried out 56,470 preventive actions and participated in 85 emergency incidents, another record in the last five years.

It comes just days after an off-duty police officer was killed while trying to save his teenage son on a New South Wales beach on New Year’s Day.

Peter Stone, 45, died on Bogola Beach near Narooma while trying to rescue his son from a wave.

Lifeguards rushed to the beach unattended in an inflatable rescue boat, but were unable to revive him despite CPR being performed.

At least 30 people have died after drowning in the nation’s waterways so far this summer, 11 of whom were in New South Wales, according to Royal Lifesaving Australia’s drowning death toll.

“We are reminding people about the power of the ocean environment and how quickly things can change, which is why it is so important to swim in a patrolled location and between the red and yellow flags,” said the director of Surf Life Saving NSW. , Joel Wiseman. saying.

‘If you’re caught in a rip current, the number one priority is to stay calm and conserve your energy. Attract the attention of a lifeguard or rescuer and wait to be rescued. If you are a competent swimmer, you can escape the current by swimming parallel to the shore.

In New South Wales, drowning deaths are 2.

7 times more likely to occur during a public holiday and 1.6 times more likely during school holidays.