Drowned swimmer identified as NSW man

A man who drowned on the state's north coast last month has been identified.

The 64-year-old from Kyogle, about 90km inland from Byron Bay, was identified on Tuesday after police spent a week appealing to the public.

The man was pulled from the water at Belongil Beach, Byron Bay, by two other swimmers on December 28.

He is one of 18 people to have died while swimming in NSW since Christmas Day.