THE SCHOOL holidays are drawing to a close but life savers are warning swimmers not to let their guards down as the drowning risk remains heightened.
It comes amid a spate of drownings and mass rescues at Hunter and Central Coast beaches throughout the summer.
Two teenagers, aged 16 and 17, were pulled from the water at Burwood Beach at Whitebridge as recently as Friday afternoon and taken to John Hunter Hospital for assessment, though have since been released.
New research from Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) has revealed the risk of drowning at the coast is one-and-a-half times higher during school holidays.
It applies to all ages, not just students.
A man believed to be about 70 years old was rescued out of patrol hours by a surfer and off-duty life savers about 6.45am on Tuesday, after getting stuck in a rip in "very messy" conditions near the Cooks Hill Surf Club.
Walkers alerted a surfer that a swimmer was struggling about 200 metres offshore.
Two long-term Cooks Hill SLSC members were exiting the water at the time and leapt into action - one kept an eye on the swimmer while the other ran to grab a surf rescue board.
The surfer kept the man above the water until the man on the rescue board reached him and negotiated the tricky conditions to bring him back to shore, tired but otherwise unhurt.
There have been several mass rescues reported in the Hunter and Central Coast over the summer.
It's been a horror season for the Port Stephens area, and extra NSW Surf Life Saving staff were deployed to the area and dusk patrols were launched.
A 33-year-old man died after being pulled from the water at the Anna Bay end of Stockton Beach on December 27 and a woman was rushed to hospital.
It came less than two weeks after a Western Sydney father died at the nearby Birubi Beach.
The death toll has risen across the state from December 1 to January 20.
"We have seen too many heartbreaking and preventable deaths on the coast already this summer, with 33 of these due to drowning, all of which have occurred outside the red and yellow flags," SLSA chief executive Adam Weir said.
SLSA research team leader and project supervisor Jaz Lawes said understanding the risk was key to preventing further tragedy.
"Activities with the highest risk of coastal death were swimming or wading and attempting a rescue," Dr Lawes said.
"Too often we have seen tragic fatalities of bystanders, often a parent or carer who has entered the water to rescue a child or loved one in trouble, or someone who has overestimated their abilities or been accidentally caught in a rip current."
Beaches have been busy as Newcastle swelters through a hot summer.
The city was tipped to hit 37 degrees on Sunday and top temperatures could be in the 30s again from Wednesday through to Friday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
SLSA safety tips:
- Swim at patrolled beaches during patrol times, between the red and yellow flags
- Download the BeachSafe app to check safety advice
- Supervise children
- Avoid alcohol and drugs near water
- Wear a life jacket when doing water activities or rock fishing
- Check the conditions and weather forecast
- Take a flotation device with you to the beach - only enter the water to rescue someone as a last resort, and take something that floats
- Know your ability and stick within your limits
