Man’s body found at North Beach, Wollongong after late-night drowning
Police believe a man who drowned at North Beach in Wollongong in the early hours of this morning was drinking with friends before the tragic incident.
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Police believe a mixture of alcohol and hazardous surf conditions played a role in the drowning of a young man whose body was found at a South Coast beach in the early hours of this morning this morning.
The man’s body, which has now been identified as a 28-year-old local man, was discovered by members of the public at North Beach in Wollongong around 6am on Tuesday morning.
A crime scene was established, and following initial inquiries, Wollongong Police District chief inspector Darren Brown said it was believed the man entered the water around six hours earlier, after drinking with a group of friends.
“We are of the opinion the cause of death was drowning,” he said.
“At some point in the night, we believe around midnight, this person has entered the water in what’s believed to be a late night swim.
“Investigations indicate the man was drinking prior to the incident.”
The man’s clothes were located on the sand near the North Wollongong Surf Club, which has led police to believe this was the spot he entered the water last night. His body, however, was found 200m to 300m north of this location.
It’s unsure at this stage whether the man entered the water alone, and police say they are following this line of investigation.
In describing the conditions overnight, Chief Insp Brown said “hazardous would be an understatement”, given the huge swells and yesterday’s king tide.
“There’s been warnings out for the last few days due to the storms and weather related incidents,” he said.
“It was very, very hazardous … waves, rips, flood waters.”
While the man’s cause of death was drowning, Chief Insp Brown confirmed there were no other injuries to his body.
Following the tragic incident, Surf Life Saving NSW Illawarra duty officer Anthony Turner urged that people only swim on patrolled beaches during patrol hours.
“Beaches aren’t patrolled at night and there are inherent dangers swimming at night,” he said.
“If you have taken alcohol or drugs we always see it inhibits your abilities and please don’t swim if you are under the influence (of these substances).”