An afternoon swim turned to tragedy in Newcastle when a man aged in his 20s died after being pulled, unconscious, from the water at Merewether on Tuesday afternoon.
Emergency crews were called to Burwood beach about 2.30pm after reports that a man and woman were in trouble in the water.
The woman, a 25-year-old, made it to shore uninjured.
A paraglider spotted the man - also aged 25 - and landed on the sand before pulling the unconscious swimmer to a rock ledge.
The man was given CPR, but he could not be saved.
The paraglider suffered a serious injury to his knee as he was landing to help the swimmer.
He was taken to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition.
Lifeguards and members of the public assisted emergency crews during the incident.
NSW Ambulance Inspector Jim Duffy said the bystanders acted quickly - they got their hands on a defibrillator and were doing "effective compressions" when paramedics arrived at the scene.
"The patient was in a very tricky location, and despite the best efforts of all involved, the patient sadly couldn't be revived," Inspector Duffy said.
"Reports suggest a paraglider spotted the man in the water and landed on the sand, he pulled him from the water and started CPR.
"We encourage the public as the weather gets warmer to please swim at patrolled beaches this summer."
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
