A man in his 60s has drowned at Mooloolaba Beach after he went under a wave while swimming between the flags.
His daughter raised the alarm at about 12.30pm today after he failed to return to the surface.
Sunshine Coast chief lifeguard Anthony King said a search involving jetskis and the Life Saver Rescue Helicopter was launched.
The man was found about 25 minutes later by members of the public about 400 metres from the red and yellow flags, near a rocky outcrop.
The members of the public administered CPR but despite their efforts, and those of multiple paramedics, the man died at the scene.
Dangerous even when calm
Mr King said the man may have suffered a spinal injury in the surf.
He urged others in the water to always take care, even if they were swimming between the flags.
“The ocean is a dangerous area, just please be very careful,” Mr King said.
“Even when conditions are quite calm, these sorts of accidents can happen.
“He was doing the right thing, obviously swimming between the red and yellow flags, but it was just an unfortunate accident.”
Mr King said the lifeguards involved would have access to support and a debriefing process would occur on Tuesday.
“We do train for it, but we make sure that we’ve got some peer support for them if they need to speak to anyone,” he said.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner.