Latest news with #StevenPearce
The Guardian
21-04-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
How a deadly confluence of factors led to a ‘terrible and traumatic' Easter weekend on Australian beaches
'Terrible and traumatic,' is how the Surf Life Saving New South Wales chief, Steven Pearce, summed up what has been declared the deadliest Easter long weekend on record, well before it was even over. Seven people across NSW and Victoria were confirmed to have drowned by the morning of Easter Monday, and while the fatal heavy seas had returned to largely normal levels, crews were still searching for two people missing since Good Friday. The tragedies occurred at different beaches across the east coast of Australia, and while most involved alarmingly large waves sweeping swimmers or fishers off rocks, their varying circumstances were the result of a deadly confluence of factors. Authorities have blamed what they call a perfect storm for beach fatalities: a low-pressure system generating hazardous surf; unseasonably warm and sunny weather; and risky behaviour when much of the nation was enjoying a long weekend. Dean Narramore, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said the writing was on the wall early on Friday. 'The main driver was a very deep and intense low-pressure system west of New Zealand, that combined with an upper level low,' he told Guardian Australia. That generated strong winds, which drove the large swells. 'The energy moved westwards,' Narramore said, with some swells refracted to eastern Victoria. At the same time, a high-pressure system over eastern Australia brought warm northerly winds, with temperatures 5-10C above average. 'There was plenty of sunshine, and all of that combined with the Easter long weekend meant a lot of people were heading out to the beach,' Narramore said. By mid-morning, images began swirling online of violent waves at some of NSW's most famous beaches, with surging seas crashing on to roads and into shop fronts. Wave heights exceeded five metres. In Sydney, with temperatures reaching the mid-20s, even beaches within the city's harbour, which are traditionally calm and protected from coastal swells, were closed. Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter The closures did not stop everyone. Surfers were seen riding waves at the usually waveless Balmoral and Nielsen Park beaches. At the coastal beach of Coogee, swimmers and surfers defied closures. At Manly's Queenscliff beach, footage circulated of swimmers gripping to handlebars before being swept from its ocean pool. In Newcastle, ferocious waves reached well past the beach, with wheelie bins seen dragged into the water. Within hours, details of the first drownings were announced by authorities. A 58-year-old man had been washed off a break wall at Wollongong harbour early on Friday as he walked to a fishing spot. Family members jumped in but failed to save him. Later, at Middle Head Point on Sydney's north shore, a man was washed off rocks and drowned. By the late afternoon, a young man was 'extricated from the water face down' at Eden, on the far south coast of NSW, after being washed off rocks. In Victoria, three Chinese nationals at San Remo beach near Phillip Island were swept into the sea. One woman was rescued, but another was pulled from the water unconscious and could not be revived. Her 41-year-old husband could not be located. 'Every drowning is a tragedy, and this is an absolutely tragic start to the Easter long weekend,' Pearce said on Friday night, as search teams looked for a swimmer who went missing from Sydney's Little Bay beach, last seen struggling in the swell in the mid-afternoon. Sign up to Afternoon Update: Election 2025 Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key election campaign stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Despite Pearce's warnings, things would only get worse. While wave heights eased slightly on Saturday, to between two and four metres, conditions remained hazardous and many beaches were closed. Two people rock fishing at Tathra, on the NSW south coast, were swept into the ocean. One returned conscious and breathing. The other was later found dead. On Sunday morning, another two rock fishers braved conditions, this time at Wattamolla, just south of Sydney. They were swept off rocks, with the Westpac helicopter called in to save them. They were both retrieved, with one pronounced dead at the scene. Later that day, a nine-year-old boy became trapped between rocks at a beach on the NSW mid north coast. Distraught witnesses told the Daily Telegraph how the parents of the boy, trapped from the chest, were unable to free him. They held his hand and spoke to him, but as tides rose, he ultimately drowned. Meanwhile, more than 150 rescues were made by volunteer and professional lifesavers across NSW, with an alarming number of near misses. Rescue helicopters had performed 30 missions by Monday morning. By Monday afternoon, once swells had returned to near normal levels, Victorian authorities called off the search for the missing 41-year-old Chinese national. It brought the death toll from the long weekend to eight, as searches continued for the swimmer missing off Sydney's Little Bay beach. Pearce said the outcome was devastating for volunteer surf lifesavers, but predictable. 'There's no other description I would have to say for such a religious weekend this has been absolutely horrific,' he said. '[It's] just the culmination of hot temperatures, a long weekend, hundreds of thousands of people going to the coastline and an enormous swell.' Every fatality that surf lifesavers responded to in NSW related to someone being washed off a rock. With the long weekend over, Pearce was wary of the coming Anzac Day long weekend, despite rain predicted. 'Our volunteer lifesavers and our lifeguards have risked their lives multitudes of times.' He urged swimmers to only enter the water at patrolled beaches. 'If there is no red and yellow flags flying, there will be no one there … that can possibly save you.'
Hans India
21-04-2025
- Climate
- Hans India
Boy dies in seventh fatal incident at Australian beaches in three days
Sydney: A boy has died after becoming stuck between rocks in the seventh fatal incident at Australian beaches in three days. The nine-year-old boy was caught in the water between rocks at a beach on the mid-north coast of the state of New South Wales (NSW), almost 400 km northeast of Sydney, at about 3:30 p.m. local time on Sunday. Emergency services were called, and local police, surf lifesavers and fire and rescue crews worked to extricate the boy, but he died at the scene. It marked the seventh death at Australian beaches over the first three days of the four-day Easter long weekend. Of the deaths, six have occurred at beaches in NSW, with the other one in the southeastern state of Victoria. Earlier on Sunday, a man died and a 14-year-old was hospitalised after they were washed off rocks while fishing in Sydney's Royal National Park. In addition to the seven deaths, emergency searches are ongoing for two people who are missing at sea after being swept from rocks in separate incidents on Friday. A 24-year-old male was walking on rocks with friends at a beach in Sydney's east when a wave swept him into the sea, Xinhua news agency reported. Hours earlier, a group of three was swept out to sea from rocks at a beach on Victoria's south coast. One woman managed to return to shore safely, but a second woman died, and her husband remains missing. Steven Pearce, chief executive of the NSW branch of Surf Life Saving Australia, said it was the worst Easter weekend for water deaths in the state on record. He attributed the number of deaths to a combination of unseasonably high temperatures and an "enormous swell" along the NSW coast. Surf Life Saving Australia on Thursday issued a warning for people to be aware of the dangers at unpatrolled beaches over the Easter holiday period.
The Independent
21-04-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Nine-year-old boy dies at popular NSW holiday spot amid spate of drownings over long Easter weekend
A nine-year-old boy died after getting trapped between rocks in New South Wales as dangerous surf conditions battered Australia 's eastern shoreline over the Easter weekend, leading to at least seven deaths. Emergency services were called to South West Rocks on Sunday afternoon but despite efforts by police and Surf Life Saving crews, the boy could not be saved and died at the scene. 'It's extremely tragic, it's the worst drownings we've seen on the Easter long weekend,' said Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steven Pearce, adding that volunteer lifesavers and lifeguards had carried out more than 150 rescues since Good Friday. The series of drownings has coincided with powerful surf generated by Cyclone Tam, which triggered hazardous conditions along the coasts of New South Wales and Victoria. The Australian weather bureau had warned of large waves and strong winds from Thursday through the weekend, with dangerous conditions expected to continue into Monday in some areas. Among the incidents still under investigation are the cases of two missing men, one a 24-year-old swept off rocks by a wave at Little Bay in Sydney's eastern suburbs on Friday, and another, a 41-year-old man who disappeared near San Remo in Victoria. The latter was part of a group of Chinese nationals from Pakenham as three members of the group were knocked into the sea by a wave. One woman was rescued, but the man's wife drowned at the scene. In another incident on Friday morning, a 58-year-old fisherman died after being swept into the water at Wollongong Harbour. On the same day, a man drowned at Mosman, on Sydney's north shore, while another fisher was reported dead near Green Cape, on the NSW south coast. On Sunday, rescue crews were called to Wattamolla in Sydney's Royal National Park, where two men were swept off rocks while fishing. They were winched from the water, but one could not be revived and was declared dead at the scene. Authorities have urged caution during the remainder of the long weekend, with police and safety organisations warning that rock fishing, swimming, and coastal sightseeing remain extremely hazardous. 'Large and powerful surf conditions are expected to be hazardous for coastal activities such as crossing bars by boat and rock fishing,' NSW Police said on X. 'If in doubt, don't go.' Prime minister Anthony Albanese, speaking from Batemans Bay on Monday, offered condolences to the families affected. 'Australians love the water, we love the surf. Please, everyone, be careful. Families in particular, be careful of your kids.' Royal Life Saving Australia CEO Justin Carr said the tragic toll had occurred during extreme weather when many people were engaging in risky activities, such as venturing onto rocky shelves or standing too close to the edge to photograph large swells. On average, six people drown over the Easter long weekend each year, according to Royal Life Saving data.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Nine-year-old dies as Australia weekend drowning toll rises to seven
A nine-year-old boy who got trapped between rocks at a New South Wales beach on Sunday has become the seventh person to drown in Australia over the Easter weekend. The majority of deaths were caused by strong swells washing people into the ocean from rocks. Two people remain missing. Steven Pearce, the CEO of Surf Live Saving in New South Wales, where most of the fatalities occurred, told the ABC it was the "worst" spate of drownings on record for the Easter long weekend. "It has just been horrendous on a weekend that's supposed to be joyous and religious," Pearce told the Sydney Morning Herald. Emergency teams were able to retrieve the boy at South West Rocks, about 400 kilometres north of Sydney, but he died at the scene. Earlier on Sunday, a helicopter spotted a father and son floating in the water near Wattamolla Beach, south of Sydney. The 14-year-old son was resuscitated, but the father was later pronounced dead. Meanwhile, Police in Victoria are continuing to search for a 41-year-old man who went missing near San Remo on Friday. Surf Live Saving New South Wales said it has carried out more than 150 rescues since Good Friday. Mr Pearce said a "perfect combination" of high temperatures, the holiday weekend, and dangerous ocean swells across much of New South Wales and Victoria caused the spike in deaths. Although conditions are set to improve on Monday, authorities urged those visiting the coastline to exercise caution. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese expressed sympathy to the victims' families. "Please, everyone, be careful. Families in particular, be careful of your kids," he said. According to Royal Life Saving Australia, 323 people drowned across the country in the year to June 2024. That figure includes those who died in rivers and creeks, as well as beaches. Nearly 40% of the deaths were recorded in New South Wales.
The Guardian
21-04-2025
- The Guardian
Nine-year-old boy dies at popular NSW holiday spot amid spate of drownings over Easter long weekend
A nine-year-old boy has died after becoming trapped between rocks at a popular holiday spot on the New South Wales mid-north coast, amid a spate of drowning deaths over Easter. Police and other emergency services tried to free the boy from the site at South West Rocks on Sunday afternoon, but he died at the scene. Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steven Pearce said crews had also taken part in countless rescues as hordes of holiday-makers made their way to the coast, as powerful swells pounded beaches. 'It's extremely tragic, its the worst drownings we've seen on the Easter long weekend,' he told ABC Radio on Monday. Meanwhile, rescue crews in NSW and Victoria have resumed their search for two men missing since Friday. The men, a 24-year-old man who was swept off the rocks by a large wave at Little Bay in Sydney's eastern suburbs and a 41-year-old man exploring the beach near San Remo in Victoria, haven't been spotted after the incidents. The older man was with a group of fellow Chinese nationals living in Pakenham when three of the friends were knocked into the water by a wave. One woman was rescued, but the missing man's wife drowned. Victoria police said the search was continuing on Monday. Emergency services were also called to Wattamolla in Sydney's Royal National Park at 11am on Sunday following reports that two people were swept off the rocks while fishing. Two men were found floating face down in the water and were winched to safety, but one was unable to be revived and died at the scene. A 58-year-old fisherman also died after being swept into water at Wollongong harbour on Friday morning. Another man drowned at Mosman on Sydney's north shore on Friday morning. Crews were also called to Green Cape near Eden on the NSW south coast about 3pm on Friday following reports of a fisherman being swept off rocks into the water. Authorities later found a body in the water. Australians have been urged to take care on the water during the remainder of the long weekend. Prime minister Anthony Albanese said his thoughts were with those who had lost loved-ones. 'Australians love the water, we love the surf,' he said from the southern NSW coastal town of Bateman's Bay. 'Please, everyone, be careful. Families in particular, to be careful of your kids.' Royal Life Saving Australia chief executive Justin Carr said the tragic events happened in extreme weather conditions when people had often put themselves in danger. Those activities included walking along rocky shelves, getting too close to the water to take pictures of the storm swell and rock fishing when it wasn't safe to do so. An average of six people have drowned each Easter long weekend over the past 20 years, according to the organisation.
