Batemans Bay drowning: Raj Kishore remembered as a ‘hero’

The grieving widow of a father-of-two, who died saving his daughter from a rip on the NSW south coast, has recounted the terrifying moment he was swept out to sea.

The grieving widow of a father-of-two, who died saving his daughter from a rip on the NSW south coast, has recounted the terrifying moment he was swept out to sea at his favourite beach.

A perfect family outing at Surf Beach in Batemans Bay on Monday quickly turned into a nightmare for Canberra woman Silpa Kishore.

The fine weather conditions took a turn and her nine-year-old daughter Sreya got caught in a rip around 1pm.

Sreya was building sandcastles with her brother Omkar, 14, minutes earlier and had decided to go for a swim in shallow waters.

When the tide took a sudden turn and she got dragged into deeper waters, her father Raj 48, jumped in after her but became caught in the rip himself.

Canberra IT consultant and father of two Raj Kishore.

Mrs Kishore is still trying to come to terms with how the experienced deep sea swimmer drowned at what was one of his favourite beaches, where he had swum hundreds of times before.

“That day we were just going to go in for five minutes. I remember calling my son Omkar to come back (from the water). Conditions at the beach that day appeared mild but the ocean current quickly turned.

“Then before I knew it I saw my husband and daughter deeper in the water. It happened in a matter of seconds.

“I saw him above water and then he just disappeared.”

Two bystanders sprung into action when they heard calls for help and jumped on their boards to find Sreya more than 250 metres out to sea before bringing her back to shore, where she was treated by paramedics and taken to hospital in a stable condition.

It was not until more than 20 minutes later, when Mrs Kishore was in the ambulance with her daughter, that her husband was tragically found lifeless in the water by Surf Lifesaving crews.

Despite their attempts to resuscitate him, he could not be saved.

Mr Kishore was an IT consultant for the Department of Immigration who had lived in Australia for 24 years after migrating from India in 1997.

His wife moved to Sydney years later after the couple met through an arranged marriage.

The Canberra dad was washed out in the waves at Surf Beach in Batemans Bay.

The pair settled down in the Canberra suburb of Torrens, where Mr Kishore enjoyed family life and cherished his role as a father.

“He did everything for me and the children. He put us first. He was very strong mentally and physically. A brilliant dad and true gentleman and very intelligent. He would always say life is like a box of chocolates, you get whatever you’re given and don’t get upset,” Mrs Kishore said.

“There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for family and that showed in that moment because he didn’t want me to go... He was a hero.

“He was happy until the very last moment.”

Mrs Kishore says she was “forever grateful” for the bystanders that saved her daughter’s life and the emergency services that attended the scene.

“I want to thank everybody who helped me on that day,” she said.

She is currently working with the NSW Coroner to have her husband’s body transported back to Canberra in the hopes of farewelling him on Thursday.

The drowning marks the fourth death in NSW waters in a week after three people died when their boat capsized in Bellambi last Saturday.

Officers from south coast Police District will prepare a report for the information of the Coroner.