TV weatherman pulls body from water on Gold Coast

Erin Lyons
Luke Bradnam was told a boogie border was struggling in the water. Photo / NCA NewsWire
Luke Bradnam was told a boogie border was struggling in the water. Photo / NCA NewsWire

A body has been pulled from the surf on the Gold Coast by a TV weatherman who had just been live on air.

Luke Bradnam was reporting on the dangerous conditions from Narrowneck when a boogie boarder told him he saw someone who appeared to be struggling in the water on Friday night.

"Just after I got off air chatting with you guys a boogie boarder just behind me here alerted me here at Narrowneck, alerted me he thought he'd seen someone struggling again out in the surf," Bradnam told Channel 9 after the tragic discovery.

"I immediately stripped off and raced out with the boogie boarder to help the person in trouble.

Read more
• Sudden death at Piha beach in West Auckland
• Woman in 70s dies while swimming at Beach Haven, Auckland
• New Zealand's fatal drowning rates shame – the most deadly beaches revealed
• Boat rage: Tairua man was angry at speeding boats

"When we got close it became pretty evident that there was a body floated in the water."

The body is believed to be British national Jake Jacobs, who moved to the Gold Coast from the UK and was reported missing on Thursday.

On Friday, police said they did not expect to find him alive.

The body is believed to be British national Jake Jacobs who moved to the Gold Coast from the UK. Photo / NCA NewsWire
The body is believed to be British national Jake Jacobs who moved to the Gold Coast from the UK. Photo / NCA NewsWire

Several beaches on the Gold Coast were closed on Friday due to dangerous surf conditions.

"I'm told they're very rough. There was a 1.8m swell last night ... conditions for swimming would have been very unsafe," Acting Inspector John Diggle said earlier in the week.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

The body of a 29-year-old woman, believed to be known to Jake Jacobs, was also found. Photo / NCA NewsWire
The body of a 29-year-old woman, believed to be known to Jake Jacobs, was also found. Photo / NCA NewsWire

Jacobs' body was discovered south of where a woman who also drowned was discovered earlier in the day.

The 29-year-old Victorian woman, believed to be known to Jacobs, was found unresponsive along Kurrawa beach at 10.15pm.

Paramedics were called to the scene and, despite attempts to resuscitate her, declared her deceased.