Two women in Australia were found dead in the ocean, not too long after going missing in Streaky Bay, a popular tourist town. Emergency services were notified of two women going missing in South Australia’s ocean around 11:15 AM on Tuesday.
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Bodies Of Two Missing Women Found In Australian Ocean
In a statement, the South Australia Police confirmed these women went missing “while walking the shallows.” The two victims were a 67-year-old woman from Sturt and a 65-year-old woman from Streaky Bay. Although they managed to pull them from the water, they could not revive them.
The manner of these women’s deaths is quite concerning, as we don’t yet know their cause of death. One thing we do know is that this wasn’t a shark attack. A spokesperson for the South Australia Police told PEOPLE that “There was no report of any shark involvement.”
These waters can still be just as dangerous on their own, though. On South Australia’s tourist website, it describes Streaky Bay’s Back Beach as having “strong rips and persistent waves.”
Although it says you can walk along the shore on low tide days, they don’t recommend swimming. “Strong, confident swimmers may access the southern beaches during low wave conditions,” it wrote.
Still, Back Beach is a popular tourist spot that has a lot to offer when it’s safe to explore. “Beyond surfing, families love exploring the rock pools, making it a great spot to visit at low tide,” it said. “It’s also an excellent location for beach fishing, with deep holes along the shoreline offering prime conditions for anglers.”
ABC spoke with Streak Bay Mayor Travis Barber about what these women were up to before their tragic deaths. Barber explained that the two women were salmon fishing before they went missing off Back Beach. This was just around 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) west of Streaky Bay.
“This is really devastating for our town,” said the mayor. He also mentioned previous tragedies similar to this incident. “As everyone widely knows we’ve had a couple of fatalities with shark incidents of late and now this. This is a real shock … our hearts go out to the families.”