A large wave slammed three rock fishermen into the base of a cliff on the northern beaches on Saturday, leaving one dead and another injured.
Ambulance NSW confirmed a man in his 40s, who was rock fishing at North Curl Curl, had a cardiac arrest and died about 10.30am.
Susannah Williams, a Narraweena resident, was whale watching when she saw the group at the edge of a rock shelf.
When she looked again, they had been pushed into the base of a 30-metre cliff. Water was receding from the platform.
"The two men surrounded the man. A fourth man came over to do CPR," Ms Williams, a science teacher, said. "Then a couple of waves came in and washed over them a bit more."
Paramedics arrived about 10 minutes later, having made their way around the headland, she said.
The ambulance helicopter was joined by the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter, which lowered a qualified first-responder to administer CPR, Westpac helicopter's chief executive officer Stephen Leahy said.
One of the helicopters winched up the body of the dead man and took the injured man to safety.
"We've been called out way too many times in the last two months for rock fishing accidents - and conditions in the last two weeks have been dangerous," Mr Leahy said.
"There have been a number of serious rescues performed recently.
"Our message is: please heed the warnings of the Bureau of Meteorology in regards to dangerous surf conditions. Also wearing a life jacket increases the chances of survival immensely should you fall into the water."
South Curl Curl resident Darian Woods said the rock shelf had been the site of many rescues and several fatalities.
"I think it's dangerous; it's so close to the water and there's nothing protecting you," said Mr Woods of Surf 2 Summit photography.
There were no dangerous surf warnings on Saturday as the wave height and energy were below threshholds, Jake Phillips, of the Bureau of Meteorology, said.
"But there are local rips and currents, which can be dangerous at any time. If you are planning to rock fish, check the forecasts."
The man's death is under police investigation.
Last Friday, a 65-year-old fisherman died after falling off a cliff at the Kiama blowhole.
