A 42-year-old man has drowned after trying to rescue his teenage daughter from a rip at Back Beach, north of Forster on New South Wales' Mid North Coast.
NSW Ambulance crews were called to the unpatrolled beach near Black Head just before 3pm this afternoon.
Members of the public performed CPR until paramedics arrived, but the man could not be revived.
Witnesses told police the man entered the water after seeing his daughter stuck in a rip.
In attempting to assist his daughter, the man also became caught.
A nearby surfer was able to pull the girl to shore before returning to assist the man, but he was unresponsive.
Police are conducting enquiries and preparing a report for the coroner.
A call for witnesses
Chief Inspector Nick Seddon from the Manning-Great Lakes Police District said the man was from Sydney and was visiting the popular holiday destination with his family.
"We will be speaking to witnesses who were there at the scene, the family members who were there, and we ask anyone who was a witness … to come forward to speak to us so we can get a full picture of what happened," he said.
"Obviously, it's a tragic situation and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family as well as those who were involved and had to witness this tragedy."
Chief Inspector Seddon said surf conditions in the area were particularly hazardous on Tuesday and urged other holiday-makers to enjoy the water at patrolled beaches.
"Rips are deceptive and sometimes hard to pick … you can get in trouble very quickly."
Drownings across Australia
There have been a spate of drownings over the summer holiday period, with 25 fatalities recorded across the country.
Surf Life Saving NSW said that with more than 1,000 rescues, it had been their busiest season in three years, and there had been three deaths on the state's beaches in as many days.
Off duty-police officer Peter Stone, 44, drowned on New Year's Day while rescuing his son on NSW's far south coast, and a 27-year-old man died yesterday at New Brighton Beach on the far north coast.
