Woman drowns on Gold Coast beach

A WOMAN has drowned on a Gold Coast beach in the early hours of Sunday morning.

A WOMAN has drowned on a Gold Coast beach in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Emergency services were called to the Surfers Paradise beach off Ocean Avenue just after 7am.

The woman was reportedly pulled from the water by two 12-year-old boys who were surfing at the time.

It is believed the lady was staying in accommodation near by and had entered the water for a morning swim.

It is unknown how long the woman was in the water.

The beaches were not patrolled at the time of the drowning according to a the City of Gold Coast Lifeguards.

A witness of the incident said Life Savers were working on the woman for at least 10 minutes.

A man who was not in uniform was seen to be giving the woman CPR as she was carried to the ambulance.

“We were watching and this young man was giving her CPR, he went away in the ambulance with her,” the witness said.

“We were sad, it just didn’t look good, paramedics were there for over an hour.”

Police are attempting to contact the woman’s next of kin.

Authorities are investigating if the deceased was an international tourist.

City of Gold Coast lifeguard supervisor Luke Ingwersen said although the surf is smaller today, there are really strong rips.

“Swimming before the flags are out and without lifeguards can be a risk,” he said.

“You can’t be out there swimming, especially if your not a strong swimmer before the beach is patrolled.”