An elderly married couple from Sydney have been identified as the pair who tragically died after apparently being swept into the water at a notorious spot near Catherine Hill Bay on Monday.
Police said the man, 76, and his wife, 80, were visiting from North Epping to go on a walk on a route investigators believe was along a rock shelf south of the Pink Caves - which they had previously completed several times - when they ran into trouble.
A member of the public called emergency crews on Monday afternoon after the woman's body washed ashore on Moonee Beach, before the man was found by the PolAir police helicopter in the water about 3km south of Birdie Beach - several kilometres away from where the woman was discovered - on Tuesday morning.
The couple's family was notified and emergency crews worked through the morning to retrieve the man's body from the remote stretch of sand, which was relatively inaccessible for vehicles.
Lake Macquarie Police District duty officer Chief Inspector Peter Vromans described the incident as "such a tragedy".
He said family members told police the couple were reasonably fit for their ages and were seasoned walkers who knew the location - but investigators believed they had been taken off guard.
"This is the tragedy of it. The Pink Caves are actually quite popular ... however that stretch of coastline from Catherine Hill Bay to the south to a place called Wybung can be very treacherous," Chief Inspector Vromans said.
"There have tragically been previous fatalities there and there's been some near-misses as well.
"Unless you've got a really good understanding of sea conditions, my advice would be to not undertake that trip. Things can change very quickly - winds can change, conditions can change and to anyone other than an expert it's very difficult to pick what's going to happen in the next few minutes.
"I think the family is trying to come to terms with what's happened. It's such a tragedy on a double scale."
Police do not believe the man and woman were wearing life jackets.
Surf Life Saving NSW personnel assisted police in the search and recovery mission - a drone equipped with thermal imaging technology was sent up after nightfall on Monday to continue the search after it became unsafe to keep crews in the water.
Surf Life Saving NSW Hunter duty officer Steve Foggett said sea conditions on Monday were mild but deceptive.
He said, every now and then, a large and surging set of waves came through and that this phenomenon may have been what knocked the couple into the water.
According to Surf Life Saving NSW records, 14 people have died in the area around Snapper Point, Moonee Beach and Frazer Beach in the past 10 years.
The incident comes only months after a woman drowned at The Pink Caves after she was washed off the rocks in April.
Police will prepare a report for the Coroner in relation to the deaths of the husband and wife from North Epping.
