Byron Bay drowning: Tallow Beach claims life of man

A MAN has drowned at a dangerous Byron Bay beach despite the urgent assistance of several onlookers including a fireman who performed CPR.

Tallow Beach offers stunning views but has a tragic history.

A 21-YEAR-OLD Brisbane man has drowned at a dangerous Byron Bay beach after getting into trouble in surf early this afternoon.

Surfer Anthony Mikellides, 45, said he went to Tallow Beach, Suffolk Park, just after 12.20pm for a swim and noticed a man was in trouble.

“I grabbed a surfboard and swam out — two girls were out the back keeping him afloat. I got him on the board and brought him to shore and two other guys started doing CPR,” Mr Mikellides said.

Surfer Anthony Mikellides rushed into the surf to help get the drowning man to shore.

The man was unconscious for 10 minutes in the water, a shaken Mr Mikellides said.

“It took me five minutes to get him to shore and luckily one of the men was a fireman who performed CPR before the ambulance arrived.

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“I did the best I could.”

A spokesman for NSW Ambulance said they were called to the beach at 12.20pm and performed CPR but the man was confirmed drowned.

Surfers queue up to ride Tallow Beach breaks. Picture: Scott Fletcher

Paramedics had been called to the same beach at 11am to rescue a 70-year-old woman who is now in a stable condition.

Tallow Beach is unpatrolled and notorious for drownings. On Sunday, a man was flown to Lismore Base Hospital for medical treatment after a near-drowning incident.

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In July 2014, 20-year-old Irish backpacker Stuart Butler drowned at the north end of Tallow and in 2010, US citizen Shawn Williams drowned.

‘It’s a horrible beach — it’s a bummer people don’t understand, but it’s just not knowing the ocean,’ Mr Mikellides said.

Officers from Tweed Byron Local Area Command are investigating the incident and preparing a report for the coroner.