‘Horrific’: Urgent warning after three drown in 24 hours on NSW beaches

Water safety authorities have issued an urgent warning after three people drowned and another man was rushed to hospital after a horror weekend along the NSW coast.

The deaths at Cabarita Beach on the Far North Coast, Saltwater Beach on the Mid North Coast and Stockton Beach in Newcastle occurred in little more than 24 hours and lifted the state’s coastal and ocean drowning toll since July 1 to eight.

Another man was taken to hospital under emergency conditions after being pulled from the water at East Corrimal in the Illawarra on Sunday.

Surf Life Saving NSW said the weekend had put lifesavers on high alert ahead of red and yellow flags returning to beaches across the state on Saturday, September 26.

More than 21,000 active volunteer patrolling members are preparing to monitor NSW beaches over the next seven months.

“This past weekend – the last weekend before our volunteer patrols begin – was horrific, and I want to pass on my condolences to the families of those involved,” Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steve Pearce said.

“These incidents are another reminder of how important it is to check Beachsafe to find your nearest patrolled location when you visit the coastline.”

The warning comes as the latest national figures show drowning deaths are increasingly occurring outside the traditional summer peak.

The National Drowning Report 2026 recorded 313 drowning deaths across Australia in 2025/26, still 10 per cent above the 10-year average, despite falling from the record 357 deaths the previous year.

NSW recorded 109 drowning deaths, 9 per cent above its 10-year average.

Beaches were the leading drowning location in NSW, accounting for 25 per cent of deaths, followed by rivers and creeks at 19 per cent.

Nationally, rivers and creeks were the leading drowning location, claiming 68 lives, or 22 per cent of the national toll, compared with 66 deaths at beaches.

Inland waterways including rivers, creeks, lakes and dams accounted for 90 deaths nationally in 2025/26.

Longer-term figures also highlight the danger away from the coast, with Royal Life Saving Australia research showing 924 people drowned in inland waterways in the decade to 2020/21.