A coroner has handed down her findings into the death of a father of four who drowned at an unpatrolled beach on Tasmania’s north-west coast while trying to rescue his son after the boy was swept out to sea.
The 58-year-old man died at Cooee Beach near Burnie on March 17, 2024, after entering the water when two of his children were caught in strong currents and a rip.
The tragedy unfolded just after 4:30pm when his nine-year-old son was dragged out to sea. His 14-year-old daughter was also being pulled away from shore.
Three bystanders jumped in to help. One man rescued the teenage girl from about 60 metres out, while two others reached the boy around 100 metres offshore.
They found the child conscious but clinging to his father, who was face down and unresponsive in the water.
The rescuers focused on saving the boy but were unable to assist the father in the dangerous conditions.
Three police officers soon arrived and helped bring the rescuers and the child back to shore.
They then swam back out and located the father about 250 metres from the beach. Despite CPR attempts, he could not be revived.
Coroner Olivia McTaggart found the man “was likely deceased at the time” his son was rescued.
Toxicology tests showed he had consumed no drugs, medications or alcohol.
“The condition of the sea and his lack of swimming ability and fitness were factors in his death,” she said.
The man’s mother described him as “not a water person”.
The coroner commended all rescuers for their actions. “Several other lives could so easily have been lost in this event,” she said.
Following the incident, Burnie City Council installed additional signage at Cooee Beach directing swimmers to nearby patrolled locations.
The death contributed to Australia’s worst year for coastal drownings since records began in 2004, with 150 fatalities recorded in the year ending June 30, 2024.
“Sadly, [this] death illustrates the elevated risk of swimming at an unpatrolled beach and failing to appreciate hazardous water conditions,” McTaggart said.
