19-04-2025
Rogue Wave Sweeps Man Away, 4 Drownings in Australia (Video)
Australia, it seems, can't catch a break.
Or rather, to use a terrible pun, it's catching loads of breaks – sorry – specifically on the east coast, as the region has been battered by storm after storm, with massive waves on one hand wreaking havoc on coastlines and communities, and on the other, bringing historic swell for surfers.
The latest of which has seen some of Australia's heaviest slabs light up outside of Sydney, caused four drownings (one in Victoria; three others in New South Wales), and spectators along the coast flocking to see the action, in some cases, getting a little too close, prompting concerns.
One man, seen in the video above, was captured riding 'the Dee Why Express' per the caption, getting swept away by a rogue wave while watching the giant surf from the northern beaches of Sydney.
However, as mentioned, there have been casualties amongst the spectating, too.
A group was washed off the rocks at a beach off Punch Bowl Road, southeast of Melbourne. One woman died, and another man has gone missing. "One of the women managed to make her way back to shore but the other woman and the man were unable to," a Victoria Police spokesperson said.
Then, there were three drownings in NSW, all on Good Friday. One, a fisherman was swept off the breakwall at Wollongong Harbor; another, who was believed to have fallen into the water in Sydney Harbor; and a third in the state's southerly coast, in the afternoon, at Green the flipside, surfers have been scoring during the relentless run of swell, with Sydney's Cape Solander going off, and all the action broadcast live via media dream team Hannah Anderson and Nick Carroll, under their latest endeavor, We Shouldn't Be Friends. Check out the action here.
Due to all the heavy swell activity, Surf Lifesaving NSW issued a warning statement:
"As NSW beaches continue to be hammered by strong surf and wild weather, volunteer surf lifesavers and lifeguards are issuing a timely reminder that when you visit the beach and find it closed, do not enter the water and take unnecessary risks.'
