French tourist rescue: Lifesavers warn swimmers away from Stumers Creek

A young woman visiting the Sunshine Coast has died after being pulled from the ocean as lifesavers warn of the dangers of what may look like an inviting beach.

A French woman has died in hospital after being pulled from the water at a popular Sunshine Coast dog beach.

Lifesavers are warning people not to swim at Stumers Creek following the tragic incident.

Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor Dianne Rigby said two people were pulled from the surf on Wednesday just after 5pm at Stumers Creek in Coolum Beach.

When paramedics arrived the man had already been rescued and lifesavers were searching for the woman.

The 27-year-old French backpacker and a 30-year-old man believed to be the woman’s German boyfriend were taken to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.

The warning sign at Stumers Creek on the Sunshine Coast.

Ms Rigby said the woman was in a critical condition and CPR was conducted on her, with the help of lifeguards and lifesavers, at the scene.

“We did get a pulse back on her and she was transported to SCUH under lights and sirens,” she said.

Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor Dianne Rigby.

The man was in a stable condition and Ms Rigby said he was “obviously very upset” yesterday over his girlfriend’s condition.

“The information is they were both getting into a bit of trouble, I believe the gentleman attempted to assist his girlfriend but he got into so much trouble that he was about to drown himself so he needed to come to shore,” she said.

A Queensland Police spokesman confirmed the woman died in hospital and a report was being prepared for the coroner.

Ms Rigby said paramedics had already attended more than 20 water-related cases in five days, and six were near drownings.

Sunshine Coast lifesaving services co-ordinator Shane Urban, who is also a volunteer lifesaver at Coolum and Peregian beaches, said the water looked inviting because the creek mouth sometimes flowed into the sea.

He said it was a dangerous place to swim, with a set of rocks offshore making surf unpredictable and dangerous, and was unpatrolled.

The beach at Stumers Creek, looking back towards the Coolum Beach township.

The lifesaving services co-ordinator said there was another drowning there about two years ago.

Brisbane man Kyle Schroduer’s body was found north of Coolum Beach after he reportedly went for a swim near Stumers Creek in March 2021.

Mr Urban said the beach was a “highly used area” because parachuters landed there and Stumers Creek was a popular dog beach.

He said the dangers of the surf in that location were signposted and there were patrolled beaches in front of the Coolum Beach Life Saving Club and in front of the caravan park.

Coolum Beach resident of 40 years, Gary Young, said people were taking a “big risk” swimming near Stumers Creek.

Coolum Beach resident of 40 years Gary Young says Stumers Creek is a dangerous place to swim.

“I watched a father and daughter at access 68 walk straight into a rip,” he said.

“Yesterday there was quite a big surge on the beach.”

Sunshine Coast chief lifeguard Anthony King said about 1.1m people had visited Sunshine Coast and Noosa beaches since December 12.

Lifeguards from Coolum and Peregian beaches attended the incident and Yaroomba lifeguards took over patrolling Coolum and Coolum North.

He said lifeguards and lifesavers had conducted 307 rescues since December 12.

Mr King also said the area the French tourist was swimming at when she got into trouble is notorious for “unsafe conditions”.

This is the second time this week Coolum Beach has been attended by paramedics with the area also reporting a near drowning of a 10-year-old and 17-year-old on New Year’s Day.

Originally published as French tourist rescue: Lifesavers warn swimmers away from Stumers Creek