Husband’s final act of heroics revealed before he and his wife tragically drowned at a popular surf beach while their six-year-old daughter watched on in horror from the beach
- Locals recall terrifying moment couple drowned
- Surfer said husband begged them to save his wife first
Surfers who desperately tried to rescue a couple from drowning have revealed how a husband clinging to life begged them to ‘save his wife first’.
The man rushed into the water at Frazer Beach on the Central Coast Wednesday, after his wife got caught in a rip and dragged out into deep water.
But almost immediately after swimming out to help her he also began to struggle in the rough surf.
The pair who are yet to be formally identified but believed to be in their 40s, were pulled from the water unconscious at 4.20pm as their six-year-old daughter who suffers from autism watched on in horror from the shore.
A couple, believed to be in their 40s, drowned at Frazer Beach on the NSW Central Coast on Wednesday (stock image of Frazer Beach pictured)
Shaun McKeachie and Bodhi King were checking out the waves after work when they heard a cry for help from the ocean.
Despite the conditions being ‘very rough’, the mates, both builders, ran down to the water to try and rescue the panicked man and his wife.
‘(The husband) was in distress, just saying ‘save my wife, save my wife’, Mr McKeachie told 7NEWS.
The pair lifted the woman out of the water and put her on to a surfboard to take her back to shore.
‘She was already unresponsive, which was not very nice to see, but we pulled her into shore and went to help the other guy,’ Mr King said.
Local builder Shaun McKeachie and a friend rushed into the water to save the couple
Frazer Beach is a popular spot for campers and surfers and the area has become a somewhat notorious site for drownings
Officers from the Tuggerah Lakes Police District are investigating the incident and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.
Since December there have been 19 coastal drownings in NSW, all at unpatrolled beaches.
Frazer Beach is a popular spot for campers and surfers but the area has become a notorious site for drownings, with the three kilometre stretch of coast south of Catherine Hill Bay claiming 20 lives since 2010.
