Overview
- Multi‑agency crews continue to look for a 14‑year‑old after a tinny capsized near Barrenjoey Headland on New Year’s Eve, with one man confirmed dead and another winched from rocks to hospital in stable condition.
- At Coogee, the search has resumed for a Nepalese man in his 20s who vanished during an early morning swim on New Year’s Day, with Coogee Beach remaining closed on Friday.
- Authorities have confirmed separate deaths of a 25‑year‑old woman at Maroubra, a 45‑year‑old woman at Dunbogan on the Mid North Coast, a 35‑year‑old Irish man at Whitehaven Beach in Queensland, and the man from the Palm Beach capsize.
- Hazardous surf and strong southerlies hampered operations; the Bureau of Meteorology has since lifted surf warnings for much of NSW, though a strong wind warning remains for the Eden coast and most beaches have reopened.
- Surf Life Saving NSW reports more than 85 rescues since Christmas and urges people to swim between the red‑and‑yellow flags, avoid rock platforms and unpatrolled beaches, and check conditions before entering the water.