Man drowns at Marengo Beach near Apollo Bay, two other swimmers hospitalised
A man is dead and two others have been pulled from the water unconscious by a Good Samaritan after getting into trouble at Marengo Beach near Apollo Bay on Victoria’s southwest coast.
Victoria
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A man has drowned and two others are in hospital after being pulled out of the water along Victoria’s southwest coast.
The group were swimming in the surf at Marengo Beach near Apollo Bay when they got into trouble at about 1.15pm Sunday.
A woman walking along the beach jumped in to rescue the unconscious men, bringing them back to shore one-by-one.
Other bystanders, including volunteer lifesavers from Apollo Bay, started CPR on the beach.
One man was pronounced dead at the scene despite the efforts from the public to save him.
Two other men, both aged in their early 20s, were rushed to the Alfred Hospital and University Hospital Geelong respectively.
The man taken to The Alfred hospital remained in a critical condition Monday morning while the swimmer taken to Geelong was in a stable condition.
The incident has shocked beachgoers.
A woman working at the southern end of the beach, who wished to not be identified, said she had grown increasingly worried when she noticed a helicopter fly overhead and saw “flashing lights in the distance” down the beach.
“It’s been so pleasant today, it’s crazy to hear what’s happened,” she said. A hot day with clear blue skies, the woman said it had been a “beautiful day” with a handful of people out enjoying the beach.
She added that while the beach wasn’t notorious for being dangerous, uneducated swimmers often ran into trouble at the unpatrolled beach.
“It can be quite beautiful, but it is quite dangerous sometimes,” she said. Another local said
Marengo beach, which is not patrolled, was dangerous due to a “notorious rip”.
Surf Life Saving Australia’s Beachsafe website describes Marengo beach as “extremely hazardous” with a hazard rating of 9/10.
But a guest at the Marengo Family Caravan Park said that at the time of the drowning, the ocean was calm and not choppy.
“The water was still and very calm” she said.
It is the second incident this year where a group of swimmers have got into trouble off Victoria’s coastline.
In January, four people died after a mass drowning at Phillip Island.
Their tragic deaths prompted a plea from water safety authorities for people to be aware of the dangers at beaches.
There have now been 38 drowning deaths in Victoria since July last year, with 26 occurring during the December-February summer period.
Originally published as Man drowns at Marengo Beach near Apollo Bay, two other swimmers hospitalised
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