Three men dead after drownings at Catherine Hill Bay, Treachery Beach and Swan Bay

Three men, aged 42, 44 and another in his 50s, have died and two separate searches are underway – on the NSW Central Coast and Maroubra – after a horror weekend on NSW beaches.

A man has died after being pulled from the water at Ghosties Beach. Picture: @neptunesbandit

Emergency services have launched two separate widespread searches for a swimmer and a kayaker feared drowned off Wamberal and Maroubra.

It comes after three men died in unrelated swimming incidents from Seal Rocks to Catherine Hill Bay at the weekend.

Police, council lifeguards and volunteer life savers are searching waters off Maroubra where a 54-year-old man was last seen on Saturday evening.

The alarm was raised on Sunday when he was reported missing.

It comes as another search resumed at 8am on Monday between Wamberal and Terrigal after a kayak was found on the beach about 7pm on Sunday.

No one has been reported missing but emergency services have resumed the search after it was cancelled because of failing light on Sunday.

A search has resumed at Wamberal on Monday after a kayak was found on the beach between Terrigal and Wamberal. Picture: John Grainger

At Treachery Beach near Seal Rocks, the Surf Life Saving NSW State Operations Centre (SOC) was advised by NSW Police at 7.22pm on Sunday that a male had been witnessed struggling in a rip.

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter made its way to the scene and the Pacific Palms SLSC Call Out Team was tasked and, once having launched a jet ski to assist in the rescue, located a man at the north end of the beach.

The jet ski operator pulled the man onto the back of the water craft, however tricky conditions meant the helicopter would eventually need to assist with extrication, and the man in his 50s was later declared deceased.

The tragedy came after a man was pulled from the surf at a beach in Catherine Hill Bay.

Emergency services were called to Ghosties Beach — also known as Timber Beach — at around 5pm on Saturday to reports an unresponsive man had been pulled from the water unconscious.

A spokeswoman from NSW Police said members of the public performed CPR until paramedics arrive.

Treachery Beach, at Seal Rocks on the Mid-North Coast.

However the man, aged 42, could not be revived and died at the scene.

Tuggerah Lakes Police District has started an investigation into the drowning and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.

Ghosties Beach is a popular, yet unpatrolled, stretch of beach at Catherine Hill Bay.

It comes just hours after the body of a man was found floating in the ocean off Swan Bay.

Port Stephens Water Police said the body, believed to be a 44-year-old man, was found about 60m offshore from Swan Bay, 20km west of Nelson Bay, just after 9am on Saturday.

Police say there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.