A 33-year-old man pulled from the surf at a Port Kembla beach on Sunday afternoon died in hospital on Tuesday.
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This takes the weekend’s ocean death toll in the Illawarra and South Coast to three.
About 1pm on Sunday, emergency services were called to MM Beach in Port Kembla after members of the public pulled the man – who police said was visiting from South Western Sydney – from the water.
He was unable to be revived at the beach by his rescuers or paramedics, and was taken to Wollongong Hospital in a critical condition.
Police confirmed he died on Tuesday morning.
He had been visiting the beach with his wife and young children, police said.
Officers from Lake Illawarra Local Area Command are continuing their investigations, police said, and will prepare a brief for the information of the coroner.
The man’s death was after incidents on South Coast beaches over the weekend, when thousands flocked to the beaches as temperatures soared to 40 degrees.
On Monday night, a 48-year-old man died in Wollongong Hospital after being found floating face down at Sandon Point in Bulli on Saturday morning.
Fellow beachgoers found the man – also from Western Sydney – about 500 metres outside of the patrolled area, about 11.10am on Saturday.
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An off-duty nurse and an RFS volunteer, Tyler Stanton, led early unsuccessful efforts to revive him.
On Sunday, a 25-year-old rock fisherman drowned after slipping on rocks at a fishing spot at Little Beecroft Head in the Shoalhaven.
He was unconscious when pulled from the water by his two friends and could not be revived.
Life Saving NSW duty officer Anthony Turner said beach-goers should “know their limitations and ability on the surf”.
“This highlights the need to swim at patrolled locations between red and yellow flags,” Mr Turner said.
“We have 17 patrolled beaches in Wollongong – people really need to make that effort to drive to a local patrolled beach.”