A man has drowned at a tourist hot spot after reportedly being dumped by a wave.
The man in his 70s was pulled from the water unconscious about 70m west of the Noosa West lifesaving tower at the Main Beach groyne.
The incident occurred about 3.30pm on Saturday.
The area, between the Noosa River mouth and Main Beach, is unflagged.
Sunshine Coast chief lifeguard Trent Robinson said it looked like a tragic accident.
“He was pulled out of the water by bystanders and a lifeguard rushed down there as soon as he saw it but he was unconscious and not breathing when he came out of the water,” he said.
“It was just an unfortunate accident from what we can gather. It looks like he’s been dumped by a wave but can’t be 100 per cent sure what the cause is yet.”
Mr Robinson passed on his condolences to the man’s family and paid tribute to the efforts of lifeguards.
“The lifesavers did a fantastic job to get there and they tried everything they could but unfortunately it didn’t work out,” he said.
It is the second beach death on the Sunshine Coast in a week, after a man in his 30s died at Mudjimba on Wednesday.
A police spokesperson said a report would be prepared for the coroner.
“Police attended Main Beach, Noosa Heads, around 3.15pm on November 22 following reports a 73-year-old man was pulled unconscious from the water,” they said.
“The man, an international tourist, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
“The death is being treated as non-suspicious.”
It came as Queensland recorded its highest number of rescues across a weekend since the summer season commenced.
Surf Life Saving Queensland general manager public safety and emergency management Matt Thompson said it was a concerning upward trend.
“This past weekend we had 33 rescues across the state, almost double previous weekends, and unfortunately another drowning on the Sunshine Coast where a man lost his life at Noosa West Beach,” he said.
“We continue to see beachgoers entering the water at un-patrolled locations where they may be unaware of the dangers such as rips and fast moving surf condition changes. Even the most experienced ocean swimmers can experience difficulty so ensuring you are in patrolled area means our lifesavers and lifeguards can respond more quickly.”
“Every region has its own unique features and challenges – beaches across the state have a wide range of different conditions and northern Queensland risk of marine stingers is also now increased – knowledge of local risks when enjoying the coast is critical and finding a patrolled location where lifesavers and lifeguards can provide informed advice is highly recommended.”​​​​​​​
Across the weekend more than 60,000 people visited Sunshine Coast beaches, with 16 rescues, 1184 total preventative actions and 82 first aid treatments.
