Missing swimmer found dead at Crystal Cascades

Police have revealed the Japanese national who was killed at Crystal Cascades was rock diving with a group of friends at a dangerous no-go section of the creek when tragedy struck.

SES arrive at the scene on Monday to conduct a land search on the banks of Freshwater Creek. Picture: Brendan Radke

Police have revealed the Japanese national who was killed at Crystal Cascades was rock diving with a group of friends at a dangerous no-go section of the creek when tragedy struck.

On Monday at 6pm police divers recovered the 20-year-old not far from where he entered the water at the top section of the cascades, after a rough location of the body was identified by swift water rescue teams.

Cairns City Patrol Group acting inspector Jamie Horn said the man was with friends “ledge diving” when he hit the water and never came up.

“The volume of water coming over places like Crystal Cascades can pose a significant risk to swimmers,” he said.

Crystal Cascades, Freshwater Creek Cairns Australia. Picture: istock

“There was a fair level of water coming out of the falls … it would certainly present as a pretty dangerous period of time.”

The waterfalls have claimed the lives of three people in the past two years.

Police did not say how high the man jumped from, or whether alcohol was a factor.

Whether warning signage at Crystal Cascades was adequate will form part of the police investigation through the coronial process, police stated.

The group would have walked past a council-erected sign that reads: “Warning: This creek has claimed lives. Do not swim upstream of this point.”

A Cairns white-water rafting guide with 25 years of river knowledge, Bazz Goes had strong views on how to prevent future deaths.

“It’s shocking that we don’t have proper signage, in my view it’s poor,” he said.

No go zones are clearly marked at Crystal Cascades with big signs. Picture: Sharon Dowman

Mr Goes said the big danger at Crystals was unseen rocks sitting just below the surface.

“Where I find a lot of the mishaps happen, is when hostels take people there without any experience, and people see others jump off and assume it’s safe, it’s very hard to see any rocks under the surface,” he said.

Mr Goes said Freshwater Creek was not a wild river and flow was determined by water release from Copperlode Dam, but recently heavy rain had caused flooding and dangerous conditions.

He said improved management of the waterway, including locking visitors out when it was too dangerous to swim would save lives.

Bazz Goes has been leading swift water adventure groups for over 27 years in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Canada and Africa. He is angry and frustrated that unnecessary deaths occur at creeks and waterfalls in Far North Queensland, and says that lives could be saved if more information about swift water was available to people swimming in creeks. Picture: Brendan Radke

“If there is over 50mm on rain then (authorities) should be saying no to swimming in the (creek),” he said.

“There needs to be (warnings) at the front gate, especially during the wet season and where there is steps going down to the water’s edge, there needs to be repetitive safety reminders.”

Mr Goes, who has advocated for swimmer safety information to be available at Cairns’ backpacker accommodation, will run a free water safety course in mid-April at either Crystals, Behana Gorge or Stoney Creek – popular swimming holes which have all claimed multiple lives in recent years.

The search for a missing swimmer who was swept away at Crystal Cascades on Sunday afternoon has ceased this morning after police confirmed a body had been located by divers on Monday night.

The 20-year-old man from Japan reportedly jumped off a ledge and failed to resurface while visiting the waterfall with friends.

It was previously reported the man was 21 years old.

Police divers from Brisbane arrived in Cairns on Monday afternoon to assist with the operation and located the body around 6pm.

It is understood the man got into trouble and was swept downstream while swimming at the top set of waterfalls which is clearly marked as no-swim zone.

He was underwater for eight minutes after becoming submerged under a waterfall, it was reported on Sunday, when the alarm was raised.

Police are in contact with the man’s family however its not yet known if loved ones will travel to Australia to oversee the expected expatriation of the man’s body.

The top waterfall at Crystal Cascades in the Redlynch Valley. Picture: Peter Carruthers

Crystal Cascades has been the site of numerous deaths, most recently two men aged 21 and 59 were located in the water unresponsive and declared dead in April last year.

Cairns Mayor Terry James said something needed to be done in terms of getting the message across that swimming in Far North creeks after heavy rain was highly risky.

“Particularly at this time of year when we get so much rain and the rivers are running really fast and people don’t realise how dangerous it is,” he said.

There are clear warning signs along the path to the upper pools of the Crystal Cascades but Mr James said perhaps it was time for council to look at installation of graphics to deter swimmers, similar to those that went up at the Babinda Boulders last year.

“Fencing the whole river off is not an option (due to) the amount of debris coming down the river during floods,” he said.

“It’s the same as the Boulders, we have all the signage in the world and you hope people listen.

“It’s one of these things, it happens too much and too often, we really have to beef-up our warnings.”

On Monday afternoon the man missing at Freshwater Creek had not been found. Picture: Brendan Radke

A specialist dive squad joined the search and rescue mission on Monday afternoon while officers at the scene turned away others who had turned up to swim at Freshwater Creek.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency spokeswoman confirmed senior QFES officers were on scene however crews were no longer in the water, but remained to assist.

“Our personnel were all out of the water at 12 noon but are still on scene,” the spokeswoman said.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, State Emergency Services and police co-ordinate a search for a missing man at Crystal Cascades swimming hole in the Redlynch Valley. Picture: Brendan Radke

A QFES spokeswoman said responders were unable to locate the man on Sunday and concluded rescue efforts just before 7pm.

The search resumed on Monday morning, where Queensland Fire and Emergency services advised five rescue crews, including swift water rescue teams, were at the scene.

Queensland Police services confirmed they had been on scene throughout Sunday night and into Monday.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, State Emergency Services and police co-ordinate a search for a missing man at Crystal Cascades swimming hole in the Redlynch Valley. The man submersed under a waterfall on the upper reaches of Freshwater Creek on Sunday afternoon and didn't resurface. Picture: Brendan Radke

Originally published as Missing swimmer found dead at Crystal Cascades