Victoria's deadliest drowning tragedy in almost 20 years claims four lives

Victorians are being urged to prioritise water safety and head to patrolled beaches ahead of the long weekend following the drowning deaths of four people who were pulled from the water at Phillip Island on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, two women in their 20s and a man in his 40s died after being pulled from the water at the unpatrolled beach at Forrest Caves on the south coast of Phillip Island, south-east of Melbourne.

A woman in her 20s was rescued and flown to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne in a critical condition. However, Victorian Police confirmed she had died today.

Lifeguards and paramedics were called to the beach near Forrest Caves about 3:30pm on Wednesday after reports four people were in trouble - about 4 kilometres from two patrolled beaches, Woolamai Beach and Smith's Beach.

Advising that the tragedy marked a near 20-year low for the state, Life Saving Victoria's Kane Treloar stated “it's been almost 20 years since we've seen a single event that's resulted in such a high loss of life in Victorian waters.

"It's not since 2005, with the tragedy that occurred at Stingray Bay, that we've seen these sort of numbers."

Explaining that lifeguards were working hard to prevent similar incidents from occurring, with almost 600 rescues along this summer, Treloar commented “our lifeguards are doing a tremendous job … working to reduce the number of fatal drownings occurring.

"We've performed almost 600 rescues this season to date.

"We're at a range of sites right across the state, so as we come into this long weekend, we have a safe place for everyone to swim.

"The most important thing to remember is that if we can't see you, we can't save you."

With 19 people having now died in Victorian waters this summer, Life Saving Victoria (LSV) General Manager, Liam Krige noted “we are seeing more drowning than we traditionally would do.

"It just goes to highlight the important safety message. When you are heading out to the coastline you need to prioritise water safety and head to a patrolled location."

Accessible via a boardwalk, Forrest Caves and the adjacent beach have long been known as an unsafe place to swim.

A warning sign at the start of the boardwalk advises of dangerous currents and that the beach is not patrolled.

Images: Forrest Caves (top and below) and signage on the boardwalk to the site (middle).