Man, 35, drowns at popular Queensland tourist beach
A 35-year-old man has died at a popular tourist beach in central Queensland, bringing the number of drownings in Australia this summer to 23.
Emergency services were called to Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island after the Irish national was found unresponsive in the water at around 11am on Wednesday.
Beachgoers said they were kept away from the area while the man’s body was recovered, and that police confirmed the man died at the scene and were preparing a report for the coroner.
The 35-year-old Irish citizen died at Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island.Credit: Catherine Strohfeldt
The exact circumstances of the man’s death were unknown.
Famous for its white sands, Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsunday Islands National Park is only accessible by boat and is estimated to attract between 7,000 and 8,000 visitors a year.
Royal Life Saving Australia has recorded 22 drowning deaths so far in the summer of 2025-26; This does not include the 35-year-old found on Wednesday.
Five people drowned in Queensland, placing it tied for second place with NSW.
The highest number of deaths occurred in Western Australia, where six drownings were recorded.
At the same time, 42 people drowned in the summer of 2024-25 (20 more than the current death toll), and 36 people drowned between the beginning of summer and January 1 in the last five years.
