Young man dies at Byron Bay beach in NSW's second drowning in 24 hours

A man aged in his 20s has died after being pulled from the water by fellow beachgoers at a Byron Bay beach early this morning.

Lifeguards said the man, who has not been identified, was swimming outside of the beach's patrolled hours at the time of the drowning.

He was administered CPR for 40 minutes after he was pulled from the water unconscious and not breathing at Tallow Beach shortly before 7.30am.

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He was unable to be revived and declared dead at the scene.

"Tallows being a back beach it generally does pick up a lot more swell lot more rips and currents moving around," northern NSW lifeguard coordinator Scott McCartney said.

"It's an extremely unforgiving environment and when you swim outside patrolled areas it's swimming at your own risk."

It is the second suspected drowning death in New South Wales in 24 hours, after a young woman believed to have been on her honeymoon died at Shelly Beach in Manly yesterday afternoon.

Eleven people have drowned at NSW beaches so far this summer, but the figure since July 1 is significantly higher at 33 - up from 19 for the same time the previous year.

Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steve Pearce said the latest two incidents are a warning to all potential beachgoers.

"This has been a devastating 24 hours for NSW," he said.

"Every coastal drowning is a tragedy, but to have two in such a short space of time is a tough reflection on how risky it can be to enter the water.

"Once again, both of these drownings have occurred at unpatrolled locations and we really must reiterate that if you plan to visit the coastline, the safest thing you can do is head to a beach where you see the red and yellow flags flying."