A woman has died after falling into the ocean while rock fishing with her husband in the Illawarra region south of Sydney.
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The couple was fishing near Killalea Beach at Shell Cove on Saturday when the man noticed his wife was missing about 6.30am on Saturday.
The man called police and surf lifesavers, police, Kiama Marine Rescue, and the Wollongong Ambulance Rescue helicopter searched for the woman.
The helicopter crew spotted the 48-year-old about 7.30am and a jet boat was used to pull her from the ocean.
She was taken to the Minnamurra boat ramp where surf life savers and paramedics trived to revive her, but she died at the scene.
Sergeant Susan Higgins, from Lake Illawara police command, said the woman was not wearing a life vest.
The couple were Asian and are believed to be from Sydney, she said.
Surf Life Saving NSW spokeswoman Donna Wishart said the south coast, and particularly Kiama and Shell Harbour, was a "blackspot" for rock fishing.
"It's got really good rock headings and platform areas, that are just a real rock fishing draw card for a lot of people," Ms Wishart said.
She said while surf conditions were large and dangerous earlier in the week, they were calm on Saturday morning.
"Rock fishing is always a worry because you can get caught out no matter the surf conditions. Depending where they are fishing a large set of waves can come through intermittently and that's usually how they get swept into the sea."
NSW State Emergency Service spokesman Jason Simms said Killalea Beach - known as The Farm - is popular with rock fishers and surfers.
"It's pretty well known. It can be quite dangerous. There are cliff faces and some steep rock faces that go down to the ocean and when the swell is quite large obviously the waves come up onto the rocks," Mr Simms said.
Another angler was lucky to escape with his life when he slipped from rocks and into water near Avoca Beach on the central coast on Saturday
The 27-year-old's two friends called emergency services and volunteer surf life savers plucked him from the water.
He was treated for hyperthermia and was taken to hospital in a stable condition.
Acting Inspector Stephen Hassett, from Brisbane Water police command, said the man's legs were tangled in fishing live and his life jacket saved him.
