Swimmers at a popular waterfall at Maleny in Queensland have recalled the moment a family began a frantic search for a 40-year-old man who disappeared after jumping off rocks.
Fire and rescue crews were called to Gardners Falls just before 5:00pm on Tuesday after reports the man had been missing for more than 10 minutes.
Police divers, SES volunteers and two swiftwater technicians searched the area before divers found the man's body just after 8:00pm.
It is understood the Nepalese man, who had been living in Australia for 18 months, was visiting the area from Caloundra.
Acting Inspector John Mahony said the man was not a strong swimmer.
"The male person momentarily surfaced and was then seen to submerge from the surface of the water and failed to resurface," he said.
"It appears he may well have drowned, however investigations into the cause of death are continuing.
'Distressed' family raised the alarm
Kieron Walker was swimming at the popular spot with his partner when they noticed three men looking distressed.
"We overheard an Australian woman saying that a guy jumped in and never came back up," Mr Walker said.
Mr Walker said the man had jumped off the lowest point of the rocks.
"It's not very high so it seems like the best place to jump in from," he said.
"The left side the water is really deep but the right side is very shallow, so someone could easily land on rocks as they are not visible when jumping in."
Mayor says area is well signed
Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson expressed sympathy to the man's family.
The council manages the Gardners Falls site and Mayor Jamieson said there were signs warning swimmers to take care around the rocks.
"I want to send my heartfelt sympathy to the friends and family of the man who died."
In 2019, a 15-year-old boy died at Gardners Falls after being pulled unconscious from the water by his friends.
"Council obviously owns and manages Gardners Falls; there is signage that does warn people that there are submerged rocks, it does warn people not to dive," Mayor Jamieson said.
