Man dies at popular NSW diving site
By Daniel Lo Surdo and Carrie Fellner
A man has died at a popular diving site just south of Wollongong on Saturday morning.
Emergency services were called to The Gravel Loader Dive Site near the South Coast suburb of Shell Cove just before lunchtime, after reports that a body had been found in the water.
Emergency services by The Gravel Loader Dive Site on Saturday morning, where a man was declared dead.Credit: Sylvia Liber
The man, whose identity and age are yet to be confirmed, was declared dead at the site. Police are treating the death as an accident.
The Gravel Loader site is popular among divers from Sydney and the South Coast. It is regarded as a shallow and gentle spot and is also frequented by night divers.
The death comes two days after a 52-year-old man drowned at nearby South Bombo Beach about 5pm on Boxing Day. The man was caught in a rip while swimming with an uninjured 18-year-old relative.
The drowning prompted Kiama Mayor Cameron McDonald to issue a new water safety warning to visitors and locals on Friday. He called the death at South Bombo a “terrible tragedy”.
It was the second drowning at Kiama’s beaches within a week, following the death of a holidaymaker at Werri Beach near Gerringong on December 21.
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