A British man has died off the coast of Melbourne after his surfboard snapped during extreme weather conditions.
The tragedy unfolded when winds of up to 80 miles per hour struck the Victorian coast on Wednesday.
The victim's 43-year-old companion attempted a rescue after witnessing his friend's distress, but the severe conditions overwhelmed them both.
A police helicopter crew located the pair and pulled them from the ocean, but despite emergency efforts on shore, neither man responded to resuscitation attempts.
The incident has prompted urgent warnings about the dangers of entering the ocean during hazardous weather.
Emergency crews responded to Frankston Beach in Melbourne's southeastern suburbs at approximately 5pm local time on Wednesday.
Authorities have not yet released the identities of either victim, whilst efforts continue to contact their families.
A member of the police tactical unit who participated in the ocean recovery required hospital treatment for minor injuries sustained during the operation.
A British man has died off the coast of Melbourne after his surfboard snapped during extreme weather conditions
|PA
The officer's condition was not considered serious.
Inspector Melissa Nixon revealed the deceased British national possessed "minimal experience" with surfing and "may have only been learning to surf" when the fatal incident occurred.
She said: "The weather conditions yesterday were obviously not appropriate to be in the water surfing, whether you're experienced or not.
"It is a risk that you take that you put other people in danger."
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The tragedy unfolded when winds of up to 80 miles per hour struck the Victorian coast on Wednesday
|PA
The inspector's assessment underscored how the victim's inexperience, combined with the severe meteorological conditions, created a lethal situation that ultimately claimed two lives.
The inspector added: "Do not go swimming or surfing in conditions like this when we know that it's going to be treacherous conditions.
"You put yourself at risk. You put people who jump in to help you at risk. You put the emergency services at risk."
Her comments followed the hospitalisation of a police tactical operator who sustained injuries whilst attempting to save the two men.
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