A water safety expert has renewed calls for Wollongong City Council to put in place a permanent lookout at Puckeys Beach as 12 months pass since a tragic drowning in the area.Ian Lee, owner of Aquatic Safety Consultants Australia, and also a Surf Life Saving Illawarra director, said there should be a permanent person stationed at the northern end of Wollongong’s North Beach to keep watch on nearby Puckeys Beach.The area is a known trouble spot. The council has put up signs and fencing over the past year to keep swimmers away, but despite this the beach is still routinely used. The council fears that by patrolling the beach it may encourage people to use it.Mr Lee said there was still no substitute for a permanent set of eyes on the area.‘‘This business will always be about response times. How long it takes us to get there,’’ he said. ‘‘If we can stand there and watch it we can respond rapidly, rather than randomly drive up and drive back.’’Mr Lee believes an extra staff member keeping an eye on the area can be accommodated within Wollongong council’s existing resources and would not attract extra cost.‘‘The best safety measure for Puckeys is constant surveillance during patrol hours and that can be done by changing the patrolling strategy.’’It’s been just over 12 months since Paolo Lucchini, 30, was pulled from the surf at Puckeys.He was revived after being pulled lifeless from the water, but died in Wollongong Hospital on Christmas Day. Two years earlier, a 60-year-old Berkeley man also drowned while swimming at Puckeys Beach.Wollongong City Council said it has put in a lot of effort into trying to deter people from using the beach. Next year the council will review unpatrolled beach surverillance including at Puckeys.It has also put in place an extra lifeguard and an all terrain vehicle at Fairy Meadow and Towradgi Beach over the past year.