On Father's Day in 2008, the inconceivable happened for Ruth and Darryl Earnshaw.
The couple received a call to say their son had been washed off rocks at a beach north of Sydney and was feared drowned.
At the time, the Earnshaws were living in Alaska while their son Jeremy was studying in Australia.
It was June 16 and Jeremy Earnshaw was at Snapper Point on the Central Coast with friends.
He was showing them where he planned to propose to his girlfriend when a "freak wave" washed him into the ocean.
Jeremy's body was never found. He is one of more than 20 people to have drowned on the 3-kilometre stretch of coastline since 2008.
His mother Ruth said the days that followed after hearing authorities were searching for him were like "any parents' nightmare".
"You go from rescue to recovery and, of all things, which we would have never thought, not ever finding him," she says.
"It has been the hardest thing I have ever gone through in my life."
A dangerous history
Locals say the stretch of coastline between Catherine Hill Bay and Frazer Park has a dangerous history.
The area takes in Frazer beach, Flat Rocks Point, Moonee beach and Snapper Point.
Several people, including rock fishermen, have died after being washed off the rocks at Snapper Point or Flat Rock while others have drowned when swimming at Frazer beach.
The deaths of rock fishermen across New South Wales sparked two separate inquiries in 2011 and 2015.
It is now mandatory to wear life jackets while rock fishing at Snapper Point.
The death toll for coastal drownings in NSW has reached a record high this summer, with a Lake Munmorah couple among the most recent statistics.
Matthew Mulhall and his partner Kathryn Singleton both drowned at Frazer beach this month, which was unpatrolled at the time.
Mr Mulhall had tried to help his partner when she got into trouble in the water but both died.
They leave behind three children, two of whom live with disabilities.
Their family has since raised more than $45,000 for the funerals and ongoing care of the couple's children.
Ruth says her heart breaks for the family.
"Anytime I hear of that happening my heart just sinks because I can so relate to what the surviving family is going through," she says.
"It breaks my heart and I pray for them."
In 1979, a memorial plaque was erected to pay tribute to those who had lost their lives along that part of the coast.
That plaque had eight names on it.
Other names, such as Jeremy's, have been added to the memorial since that time.
What can be done to improve safety?
Frazer beach is located within the Munmorah State Conservation area and, like many beaches within national parks, is only patrolled at certain times of the year.
Following the two most recent drownings, Surf Life Saving NSW, along with the Member for Swansea Yasmin Catley have called for patrol services to be extended to more beaches across national parks.
According to SLS NSW, 25 per cent of drownings in New South Wales occur within national parks.
Long-time local surfer Mark Radford said it was clear more needed to be done to improve beach safety, but he believed education could be more effective than extended lifeguard services.
"We've got a lot of sea changers who just, unfortunately, don't have any ocean sense," he says.
"We need to start teaching the kids that live on all these beaches some surf sense, and what a rip is and where to swim or not to swim.
"And then they could help educate their parents."
In a statement, National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) says it is working with Lake Macquarie Council to review visitor safety and risks at beaches in the area.
"[This] will include reviewing existing patrol arrangements," a spokesperson said.
"This season [we] extended the lifeguard patrol period by more than two weeks."
NPWS said lifeguard patrols at Frazer Beach run from December 3 until January 29.
Lifeguards will return to the beach over Easter, from April 7 to 23.
