Hungarian tourist drowns off popular Gold Coast beach

An overseas tourist has drowned on the Gold Coast while on holiday with his wife.

The 66-year-old Hungarian man was snorkelling outside of the flags along the popular Mermaid Beach at midday yesterday when his wife raised the alarm after she returned from a walk and was unable to spot him.

Lifeguards began a search and found him a short time later 600m north at Broadbeach.

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They tried to revive him until paramedics arrived but he died at the scene.

Gold Coast chief lifeguard Chris Connelly said the man was pulled unconscious from the water at about 1.30pm.

He said there were no witnesses and it was hard to say what caused the man's fatal drowning.

But he said there have been heavy seas off local beaches.

"Conditions have been extremely rough along the coast, with easterly swells, strong rips," he said.

Investigations are continuing into the man's death.

It was the second death on a Queensland beach this week. On Monday, a man aged in his sixties died at Mooloolaba Beach on the Sunshine Coast.