Man drowns at Penrith Beach on Boxing Day after entering with paddleboard

A man’s body has been pulled from the water of the newly-opened Penrith Beach after he went underwater and failed to resurface.

A man has drowned at the newly-opened Penrith Beach.

The man, a 35-year-old from St Marys, went missing about 2.35pm on Tuesday at Penrith Beach in Castlereagh, western Sydney

He was seen entering the water with a paddleboard before he went underwater and failed to resurface, sparking an emergency response, NSW police said.

The man went missing at the newly-opened Penrith Beach. Picture: Dilina Wijayarathna/Facebook

A helicopter assisted with the search. Picture: Dilina Wijayarathna/Facebook

The man’s body was discovered after a four-hour search. Picture: Dilina Wijayarathna/Facebook

The beach was immediately closed to the public.

Officers from the Nepean police area command rushed to the scene to try and find the man, along with PolAir and police divers.

The man’s body was located about 6.15pm.

He has not been formally identified.

There were earlier reports that a young boy had been seen with the man, but the boy was pulled from the water, according to the Daily Mail.

Nine newspapers reported that lifeguards were on duty, but that the man was swimming outside the designated swim zone.

Police said a report would be prepared for the Coroner.

The man-made beach in western Sydney was opened to the public on December 19.

The beach was built on the site of a former quarry for about $1.7 million.

It opened to mixed reviews, with some dubbing it “Pondi Beach”.

Deadly year for drownings

A man’s body was pulled from the water at Copacabana Beach on NSW’s Central Coast about 5pm on Sunday. Lifesavers and paramedics attempted to resuscitate the man, but he was declared dead.

He reportedly suffered a medical episode while swimming.

A swimmer was also reported missing on Christmas Day at Lennox Head beach.

Police said the man was reportedly seen in distress in the water and did not resurface. He has not been located.

There's been a worrying uptick in drownings in NSW this year, with older men in particular warned to be careful.

According to the National Drowning Report 2023, 281 people drowned this year, with 77 per cent of the deaths men. More than half were aged over 45.