The death of a man who was washed out to sea from a rock pool in Kiama on Monday evening marked the seventh drowning in six days along the NSW coast.
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Surf Life Saving NSW said the coastal drowning toll for summer has surpassed last year's record high number of deaths and now stands at 23.
Glenn Davis, who was visiting Kiama on holiday from the North Coast, said he called Triple-0 at 5.40pm after seeing the man - believed to be aged in his 60s - washed out of the rock pool by a huge wave.
Mr Davis said onlookers and emergency services workers did everything they could to try and save the man's life.
"The swell was big, but at the time there was nothing major happening in the rock pool, so you would never think this would happen," Mr Davis said.
"There was just a wave that came over the pool and the force of the water just plucked him out. It was a freak thing that just happened right in front of us and there was nothing anybody could do. The size of the waves - god, it was huge, it came over with such force.
"I called Triple-0 and said can someone get here quick."
He and others signalled two nearby surfers at the point, who brought the man into the harbour.
Mr Davis said he couldn't believe how quickly paramedics arrived on scene.
"Within five minutes it seemed like there was multiple ambos, the chopper was there - by the time we got from the rock pool to the other side of the harbour they were already there and I was waving them in," he said.
"The surfers were there trying to pull the guy in, and the paramedics were there equipment in hand, and they worked on him for about half an hour, trying everything."
"It was a terrible day, with a very, very bad outcome, but everyone did everything they could."
SLSNSW CEO Steve Pearce said this would go down as one of the worst summers on record.
"The last week has been terrible for a number of families across the state who didn't have their loved ones return home to them," he said.
"This has been one of our worst summers on record and while the holiday period may have ended, we are still seeing huge beach visitation numbers and, tragically, the coastal drowning figure continues to rise.
"I must reiterate a very familiar message - if you are planning a trip to the coastline, please do so by visiting a patrolled location and swimming between the red and yellow flags."
Between February 7-13, there were three coastal drownings on the state's Central Coast, and one on the North Coast, Sydney's Northern Beaches, and the Far South Coast.
The Kiama death marked the the seventh drowning in less than a week, and means there have been nine drownings in February, SLSNSW said, and there have been 35 since July 1.
BEACH SAFETY TIPS
- Always swim between the red and yellow patrol flags, for your nearest patrolled beach check the BeachSafe app or website
- Read the safety signs for information about the beach and ask a lifesaver or lifeguard for safety information
- Always swim with someone else so you can look out for each other, and always supervise children around the water
- Never swim under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- If you need help in the water, stay calm and attract attention by raising one arm
- In an emergency, dial Triple Zero
- For information about patrol times, weather, and beach locations visit the Beachsafe Website or Download the App.