POLICE do not believe there are any suspicious circumstances in the deaths of two men who drowned in separate incidents 90 minutes apart at beaches in Port Stephens on Saturday.
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NSW is having one of its "worst summers on record" when it comes to drowning deaths, surf lifesavers have said, and there were two more tragic deaths in the Hunter over the weekend when two men, both locals, got in trouble in the surf.
Police say they found the body of a man, aged in his 50s, in the water at Wreck beach, a secluded surf spot near Shoal Bay, about 7.40am on Saturday.
Officers had been called to the beach to investigate after reports the man had not returned home after going for a surf.
The beach can only be accessed by water or a long walk from the car park and police arrived to find the man's body in the surf.
Port Stephens police have launched an investigation and will prepare a report for the coroner, but a police spokesman said the incident appeared to be an accidental drowning.
About 90 minutes later on Saturday, police say they were called to Swan Bay, on the other side of Port Stephens, after reports that a body had been found about 60 metres offshore.
The man's body was recovered and returned to shore. He was yet to be formally identified on Sunday, but police believe he is a 44-year-old local man.
Police have launched an investigation and will prepare a report for the coroner, but like the drowning at Wreck beach police say there do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances and the man appears to have drowned while swimming. There have been 29 drowning deaths in NSW this year.
