New details about man missing in Coogee ocean after multiple NSW beach tragedies

A hospitality worker has been identified as one of two people missing after wild surf on NSW beaches, led to three drowning deaths.

Three people have drowned in NSW beaches and two people remain missing, with new details emerging about the man missing after being swept out to sea.

A Nepalese national who has been living in Sydney for four years and working as a glass collector at the Coogee Pavilion has been missing since Thursday morning.

Lifeguards, NSW Police and Marine Rescue are still searching for the man, believed to be in his 20s, who got into trouble in rough surf at Coogee Beach in Sydney’s east just after 6am on New Year’s Day.

Just an hour earlier, a 25-year-old woman was found dead, 4km away at Maroubra Beach, while on Thursday afternoon, another 45-year-old woman drowned at Dunbogan Beach near Port Macquarie on the NSW Mid North Coast.

Desperate efforts to save man

A police officer who had finished up his new year’s duties braved the rough conditions alongside two off-duty lifesavers to try to aid those who were in trouble.

He ran into the surf fully clothed, diving beneath waves as he tried to reach the group alongside another man, who only had a boogie board.

A search is under way for a person missing in the surf at Coogee in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Picture: NewsWire

Friends of the man in his 20s wait for any sign of him to emerge. Picture: Supplied

Lifeguards are also scouring the water for the missing swimmer. Picture: NewsWire / Christian Gilles

NSW Police, lifeguards, and marine rescue are on the scene. Picture: NewsWire / Christian Gilles

Lifeguards have warned of flash riptides off Coogee Beach on New Year’s Day. Picture: NewsWire / Christian Gilles

A police officer and another rescuer dive into the ocean at Coogee Beach

A swimmer is missing and…
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“This is the type of thing that NSW Police do across the state on a daily basis. When people are in trouble and they’re alerted, they’re nearby as they put themselves at risk, put themselves at danger, for in an effort to help others,” Chief Inspector Chris Whalley said.

Authorities have revealed that the man was one of four who had decided to go for a new year’s swim in rough conditions at Coogee.

“Due to the large surf, they were swept out in a very big rip and got swept off their feet. They tried to make their way back to shore and required assistance,” Coogee Lifesaving Club president Ben Heenan told reporters on Thursday.

“An off-duty police officer and two off-duty surf lifesavers went in and provided that assistance. Three of them were able to make it back to shore, unfortunately, one was unable to return.”

The officer brought with him an inflatable rescue tube in the hope of bringing the man to shore.

“Even though he wasn’t a trained lifesaver, he was still able to take a flotation device out with him to try and attempt to save these swimmers, as did the off-duty lifesavers as well,” Inspector Whalley said.

One witness said onlookers noticed the man was unconscious in the water and attempted to assist him.

It took just five minutes before the would-be rescuers had lost him in the ocean.

The man, believed to be in his 20s, went missing just after 6am, one hour before lifeguards were due to start their patrols.

Lifeguards patrol Coogee Beach from 7am to 7pm during summer.

Emergency crews remain at the scene.
Woman found dead at Maroubra Beach

The search for the man comes just one hour after a 25-year-old woman was found dead, just 4km away at Maroubra Beach.

Police were called to Marine Parade, Maroubra, about 4am on Thursday following reports a person had been swept out to sea.

Officers were told a 25-year-old woman had been hit by a wave, knocking her into a tidal rock pool, before further waves carried her out into the ocean.

A body, believed to be that of the young woman, was dragged from the water at 5am. She is yet to be formally identified.

Friends of the missing man and other onlookers have gathered on the beach as emergency services hunt for any signs of him in the rough water.

The Westpac rescue helicopter has done rounds of the beach for more than an hour, while two lifesavers on jet skis brave the swell in the hope of finding him.

At least 10 police officers are on the sand at Coogee as the search takes place.

Lifeguards from Randwick Council have closed all beaches in the area, including Coogee, Maroubra, Little Bay, Clovelly, and Malabar, saying: “We strongly advise against swimming; rock fishing and other coastal activities today.”

He was spotted in the water in trouble about 6am. Picture: supplied

Police are also searching waters further away from shore. Picture: NewsWire / Christian Gilles
Second woman drowns on Central Coast

A second woman has died after being pulled from the water on the state’s Mid North Coast midafternoon.

Emergency services were called to Dunbogan Beach, Dunbogan, about 38km south of Port Macquarie about 2.55pm, following reports a woman was in trouble in the water.

Officers attached to Mid North Coast Police District attended and found a 45-year-old woman had been pulled from the water.

She was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics and police on scene, however, she could not be revived.

New Year’s water tragedies

The New Year’s Day’s tragedies come one day after a man drowned and a teenager went missing after their boat capsized on Sydney’s northern beaches.

Emergency services rushed to Palm Beach just before noon on Wednesday after hearing of the incident.

A third man was winched to safety by helicopter and was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital.

The search resumed on Thursday for the 14-year-old boy who was on board but could not be found in the water.

“Surf Life Saving have a number of assets out on the water, including jet skis,” NSW Surf Life Saving Northern Beaches president Rod McGibbon said.

“Conditions are not great, there’s quite a large swell coming in and a bit of wind as well … which would have undoubtedly contributed to the incident with the boat,” he said.

There were 19 rescue operations carried out on New Year’s Eve by NSW lifesavers, with people more than three times likely to drown over the holiday period.

From Christmas to December 30, lifesavers have carried out 85 rescues, 419 first aid provisions and more than 40,000 preventive actions in the state.

Lifesavers are now pleading for the community to take care around the water, with 24 coastal drowning deaths in NSW in the past six months compared with 19 from July to December 2024.

Beachgoers are warned to avoid the water due to treacherous conditions. Picture: NewsWire / Christian Gilles

A woman was swept out to sea at Maroubra. Picture: NewsWire / Brendan Read

Circumstances surrounding her death are still being investigated. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

A search is under way for a person missing in the surf at Coogee

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A hazardous surf warning has been put in place along the NSW coast by the Bureau of Meteorology, including for Sydney beaches.

“People should consider staying out of the water and avoid walking near surf-exposed areas,” the bureau said.

Surf conditions are “very poor” according to SurfLine

“Expect some big sets and close outs across exposed beaches for the morning due to the longer period,” forecaster Hugh McDowell wrote about Coogee.

Waves are expected to be about 1.7m high, while Coogee lifeguards have warned of “very large shorebreak today with high chance of flash rips”.