The 53-year-old Newcastle man and his son, 13, were swimming 50 metres from the shore at Boomerang Beach, an unpatrolled surf beach south of Forster.
Shortly before 3pm, the boy got stuck in a rip. His father managed to save him, but got stuck in the powerful current himself.
“The man rescued his son and then got into trouble himself,” Manning Great Lakes Police Chief Inspector John Sullivan told ABC Online.
“Despite the efforts of surf lifesavers and emergency services, the man was unable to be revived.
“These are tragic circumstances.”
The tragedy highlights the importance of swimming between the flags on patrolled beaches.
