Boy buried under sand by dune collapse on South Coast beach

A 13-year-old boy was buried under the sand when a dune collapsed on him at a remote NSW South Coast beach over the weekend, before he was rescued by bystanders.

One of the rescue teams called to the scene on Sunday morning (12 January) said he was “very, very, very lucky” that others were nearby at the time.

The sand bank collapsed on the boy at Aragunnu Beach in the Mimosa Rocks National Park, a remote area between the towns of Bermagui and Tathra.

He was asphyxiated under the sand and was dug out by bystanders, before an ambulance was called at 11:35 am, a NSW Ambulance spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the boy was treated at the scene by paramedics and transported to the South East Regional Hospital in a stable condition.

Bowen Finnerty, a rescue operator with the Bega Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA), said the boy had been digging into the side of the sand dune.

“Unfortunately, the weight of the dune above that hole had collapsed. It basically collapsed on the top of him,” he said.

Mr Finnerty said his VRA team was asked to help extricate the boy, as he had been submerged under the sand, but he had been pulled out by the time they arrived.

“The patient was a very, very, very lucky person, that someone was nearby at the time to dig him out,” he said.

A spokesperson from Surf Life Saving NSW (SLS NSW) said lifesavers and officers from Tathra Surf Life Saving Club also responded to the incident, but police and ambulance were already on the scene and the boy had regained consciousness by the time they arrived.

SLS NSW said the “near-tragedy” at Mimosa Rocks was a stark reminder for families to keep an eye on their children at the beach, and for visitors to swim and play between the flags where lifesavers or lifeguards are close at hand.

“Not all hazards at the beach are in the water. The closer you are to volunteer lifesavers or lifeguards, the faster the response is when things go wrong,” the SLS NSW spokesperson said.

“Mimosa Rocks is a remote location, so incidents such as this take longer to respond to by emergency services.”

The SLS NSW spokesperson also said there had been a similar incident on 28 December, 2024, at Hams Beach at Lake Macquarie, where a 12-year-old required resuscitation after being buried head-first in the sand after a deep hole he was digging collapsed.

“He was treated by lifeguards who were thankfully close by and were able to quickly dig him out,” the spokesperson said.

If you see an emergency along the coast or in the water, phone triple zero immediately.

Bega Valley Shire Council’s director of community, planning and environment, Emily Harrison, said the shire’s coastline is often exposed to high winds and intense wave action. This can erode dunes and beaches, creating steep dune scarps resembling cliffs.

“Dune sand tends to be loose rather than compact which can be unstable. Digging near or running across these areas can cause them to collapse,” Ms Harrison said.

“Digging and leaving large holes on beaches is also a hazard to other beach goers and lifesaving services.

“Our message to anyone visiting our beaches is to stay off and away from sand dunes and dune scarps and only use designated beach-access points.”

Ms Harrison said council encouraged people to enjoy the eight beaches in the Bega Valley Shire with a lifeguard program.

These are: Horseshoe Bay and Camel Rock in Bermagui; Tathra Beach; Short Point, Bar Beach and Main Beach in Merimbula; Pambula Beach; and Aslings Beach in Eden.