A 41-year-old Canberra woman drowned when a groups of swimmers got caught in a rip off the rocks at a south coast beach on Sunday afternoon.
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Police gave no further details on the woman except that she was from the ACT.
It is not known if she was one of the people who initially got into difficulty at Surf Beach, south of Batemans Bay, or whether she entered the water to try and help the first group who were in trouble. Some reports said that the tragedy happened after beach-goers were swept from a rock.
It's the second drowning at Surf Beach within a year.
Last July, a Canberra man died trying to save his nine-year-old daughter from a rip. She survived but the father could not be revived by life-savers.
In Sunday's tragedy, emergency services responded to reports of a group of 10 swimmers in distress at Surf Beach, eight kilometres south of Batemans Bay, on Easter Sunday afternoon.
Members of the public, as well as Surf Lifesavers entered the water and brought 10 people to shore.
The woman from Canberra was treated at the scene before being airlifted to Batemans Bay Hospital, where she died a short time later.
The rescue helicopter conducted aerial searches of the beach to ensure no other swimmers needed assistance.
One other woman was taken to Batemans Bay Hospital and has been released.
Another man was transported to Moruya Hospital and was under assessment on Sunday evening, but doing well.
Another man was airlifted to Canberra Hospital.
A spokesperson for Surf Life Saving NSW said five of the 10 people eventually rescued were onlookers who entered the water attempting to help.
The remaining swimmers were assessed at the scene and did not require hospitalisation.
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter and Surf Life Saving Australia Helicopter also responded to the emergency.
"When the helicopter arrived on scene, they radioed back and said there was multiple persons strewn all over the rocks, many persons face-down in the water," the SLSNSW spokesperson said.
"They could see Surf Lifesavers, trying to hold up members of the public in the water as well."
Lifeguards from nearby surf clubs including Batemans Bay and Broulee helped the rescue.
"We've seen multiple rescues right up and down the New South Wales coast, some again involving mass rescues at other locations as well," the SLSNSW spokesperson said.
"The public really need to heed that warning that you need to swim at a patrolled location and a patrolled location is anywhere we see those red and yellow flags that are flying because we'll have lifeguards and lifesavers on duty.
"If you do decide to swim in an unpatrolled location, it is going to take a lot longer to get around there if you find yourself in trouble."
South Coast Police District officers have begun inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident and a report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.