Kayaker drowns on Mornington Peninsula in Boxing Day tragedy

A man’s body has been pulled out of the water by members of the public at a picturesque nature reserve.

A kayaker has died after falling into the water at a stunning beach on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

Police believe the man fell out of his kayak near Balnarring Beach, around 80km south of Melbourne, about 1pm on Thursday.

He was pulled from the water by members of the public, but he could not be revived.

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

Police are yet to formally identify the man.

The deadly incident comes after another man was critically injured in the water in another region of the state on Boxing Day.

Balnarring Beach on the Mornington Peninsula. Picture: Google

A man was pulled from a creek at Bright in the northeast of the state just after 12pm on Thursday.

He was flown to hospital with life-threatening injuries and police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Royal Life Saving Australia data shows the number of drownings has spiked this year.

There were 14 deaths in the first three weeks of summer this year, which is higher than the death toll for the same period in 2023.

The current death rate is 20 per cent higher than the five-year average.

The data shows that more than 80 per cent of drowning victims are men and more than 80 per cent of drowning victims were not born in Australia.

Rivers and creeks account for a quarter of all drownings, while about 20 per cent occur at Australian beaches.

Originally published as Kayaker drowns on Mornington Peninsula in Boxing Day tragedy