Life guards are urging swimmers to keep safe at the beach following a harrowing number of drownings this Christmas period.
Swim between the flags
It may seem like simple advice, but swimming between the red and yellow flags at a patrolled beach can save your life.
The flags are carefully set up to avoid rips, under currents and other hazards. Surf life savers monitor these areas to spot anyone at risk of being harmed quickly.
You can find out more about this on the BeachSafe website.
Swimmers should check safety sings and look out for each other, even at patrolled beaches.
What to do if you're caught in a rip
Hunter Surf Lifesaving president Henry Scruton said people tended to panic when they were caught in a rip.
"It sounds easy - let the rip take you out or swim sideways out of it," he said.
"But people do panic and just want to swim back to the sand.
What to do if someone else is caught in a rip
People may also panic if they see a loved one in trouble and rush into the water to help without thinking first.
"If the person is in a rip, you're going to go into the same rip," Mr Scruton said.
Five bystanders have drowned on the Australian coastline this summer, four of which occurred when the person went to help a loved one, mainly teenage children. The fifth was trying to save strangers.
All five involved a rip and occurred at unpatrolled beaches. None of the decedents took a flotation device for the rescue.
"If you see someone in distress in the water, it's important to raise the alarm and call for help," Surf Lifesaving NSW director of lifesaving Joel Wiseman said.
"If you absolutely must enter the water, it's important that you only do so if you have a flotation device available to assist in keeping you above the water. This can be an esky lid, a football, a body board or something similar - it can be any item you see on the beach that will give you more buoyancy."
Drownings in the Hunter
Warnings for safe swimming come amid a horror summer already at Hunter and Central Coast beaches, with a string of deaths.
A man died after being pulled from the water at Stockton Beach, about three kilometres from Birubi Beach, on December 27. A woman who was rescued in the same location is fighting for her life.
One man died at Umina beach and another died at Copacabana on the Central Coast on Christmas Day.
Police said both of them had suffered medical episodes in the surf.
A 47-year-old Western Sydney man died after he was caught in a rip at the notorious Birubi Beach at about 6.30pm on December 16.
A swimmer drowned off Stockton three weeks earlier, near the Lavis Lane entry to the dunes, while four of his friends managed to escape a rip and get back to shore.
His body wasn't found after a major multi-day search from the sea and sky.
A 71-year-old man died after being swept off rocks at Boat Harbour in October. He had suffered a medical issue.
Surf Life Saving volunteers from Fingal and Birubi clubs rallied to ensure better coverage of the coastline for the Christmas and New Year period, putting on dusk patrols from 4pm to 7pm on weekends and public holidays.
Regular patrols, with the red and yellow flags, run at the beaches from 9am to 5pm.
There have been seven fatal beach drownings at Port Stephens this year.
In the wake of today's tragedy, additional lifesaving assets from Sydney will arrive tomorrow to assist local volunteers.
Mr Scruton said Hunter Surf Lifesaving also ran school programs to educate kids on how to stay safe at the beach.
"The average person, if they haven't had the education, can't spot a rip," he said. "The kids who do the program can see a rip and know how to get out of it."
