Body of woman, 45, found at NSW mid-north coast beach as drowning death toll around the country rises to four - here's what is causing the dangerous swells
The death toll of massive surf swells on New Year's Day has climbed to four.
A woman has drowned on the NSW mid-north coast amid ongoing hazardous surf conditions that have claimed four lives.
Emergency services rushed to Dunbogan Beach, 38km south of Port Macquarie, and found an unconscious woman had been pulled from the water about 2.55pm on January 1.
NSW Ambulance paramedics and police attempted CPR, but the woman, 45, sadly could not be revived. Police will investigate the circumstances around her death and prepare a report for the coroner.
The woman's death follows that of an Irish tourist at Queensland's Whitehaven Beach and a young woman at Sydney's Maroubra Beach, both on Thursday, and that of a man whose boat capsized at Barrenjoey Headland, near Palm Beach, on Wednesday.
There is an ongoing search for a 14-year-old boy who was also on that boat, as well as a search for a swimmer who vanished in the water at Coogee in Sydney on Thursday morning and a snorkeler missing near Perth since Thursday afternoon.
The wild weather on the east coast is being caused by a low pressure system in the Tasman Sea, to the northwest of New Zealand, which is whipping up winds and causing large swells to reach Australia.
The tragedies on Thursday unfolded at 4am when emergency services received reports of a woman being swept out to sea from Maroubra Beach, in Sydney's southeast.
It's understood the 25-year-old Chinese tourist was wading in a tidal rock pool when she was knocked over by a strong wave. A body, believed to be that of the missing woman, was recovered an hour later following an extensive search.
A 45-year-old woman drowned at Dunbogan Beach (pictured) on Thursday afternoon
Warnings have been issued about the dangerous surf conditions
Emergency services received another distressing call just two hours later from nearby Coogee Beach.
A swimmer, believed to be aged in his 20s, was in a group of three when he began struggling.
He disappeared into the surf at about 6am, shortly after officers arrived at the scene.
'Due to the large surf, they were swept out in a very big rip and got swept off their feet,' Coogee Lifesaving Club president Ben Heenan said.
'They tried to make their way back to shore and required assistance.
'An off-duty police officer and two off-duty surf lifesavers went in and provided that assistance.'