Man drowns at popular swimming spot in Royal National Park
A man has drowned at a popular beach in the Royal National Park south of Sydney.
Police said emergency services were called to the park just after 5pm yesterday.
There had been reports two people had gotten into difficulty after jumping from a rock ledge into the Wattamolla Lagoon.
A woman aged in her 20s was treated at the scene by ambulance paramedics before being taken to hospital.
She is in a stable condition.
It was more than an hour later that the retrieval of the 27-year-old man was able to be made.
His body was pulled from the water at 6.20pm.
Body recovered from Watamolla Lagoon. 9News
"On arriving at Wattamolla, we immediately commenced a search of the lagoon for the missing man," Surf Life Saving Sydney duty officer Joel Wiseman said.
"The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter crewman had flippers and goggles and was able to dive under the water.
"After 20 minutes of searching, he found the man who was about seven feet under the water.
"The Westpac Helicopter crewman managed to pull the man to the surface and we got him onto a rescue board and took him to shore where CPR was commenced.
"Unfortunately, despite the best efforts and swift actions of surf lifesavers and emergency service personnel, the man could not be revived."
Westpac Helicopter attempts to rescue the man found seven feet under water. 9News
There have been six drownings at Wattamolla Beach over the past five years and 12 drownings or deaths at Royal National Park beaches in general – including at the popular Figure 8 Pools.
In recent years there has been a significant increase in the use of the Royal National Park, with visitations up by 50.2 per cent between 2012 and 2018 to over six million visits per year.
It is now the second busiest national park in the state.
A woman was also rescued and taken to hospital conscious and breathing. 9News
Lifeguards had warned a number of people of dangerous conditions due to a significant amount of thunderstorm activity in the area.
"Surf Life Saving NSW extends its condolences to the family and friends of the man who drowned at Wattamolla Beach yesterday," Surf Life Saving NSW said in a statement.
Police have attended the scene and have commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the drowning.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
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