A teen who drowned off Melbourne’s Mordialloc Beach on Boxing Day has been remembered as a great friend and determined young man who loved his footy.
Nick Maan, 17, went missing in the water about 4pm on Monday.
A huge search involving Life Saving Victoria helicopters and Police Air Wing located him in the water but he was unable to be saved.
“The 17-year-old male from Pakenham was located unresponsive and was pulled from the water a short time later,” a police statement said.
“CPR was commenced but sadly he has died at the scene.”
It was the third drowning in the state in two days.
Mr Maan went to Lakeside College in Pakenham and played football for Pakenham Lions Junior Football Club.
Local MP Jason Wood said he was saddened to hear about Mr Maan’s death, adding he was “a young man lost too soon”.
Mr Maan’s friend Darci said she had lost “one of the best friends anyone could ask for” in a tribute on Facebook.
“Nick sadly lost his life today at Mordialloc beach. He was definitely one of a kind and always knew how to make anyone laugh and smile no matter what,” she wrote.
“He was dearly loved by so many he came across and has clearly touched so many hearts. “All the fun times in and out of primary school all the way to high school are now memories but they are memories I’ll cherish forever.
“Rest in peace Nick you will be missed by absolutely everyone. Love you.”
Another friend, Ethan, said they played footy together nearly everyday and a dedicated Mr Maan had improved so much in the last few months he got asked to train for Gippsland Power in the NAB League, the Herald Sun reported.
“Nick was the most amazing, kind-hearted, devoted and determined young man I have ever met,” Ethan wrote on social media.
“Nick always saw the best in people and always had the most genuine and caring heart towards others.
“His smile could make the most unhappy person in the world get instantly filled with joy and his laugh was more contagious than Covid.”
Only an hour before Mr Maan went missing in the water at Mordialloc Beach, there was another fatal water incident at Kookaburra Point in Ebden, near Albury-Wodonga.
Witnesses told police a man in his 30s entered the water to chase after his dog when he appeared to struggle just before 3pm.
It is believed he may have suffered a medical episode while he was in the water.
Onlookers pulled the man to shore and did CPR before paramedics arrived. He was taken to hospital but sadly died.
The day before, on Christmas, a 19-year-old died near Lorne on the Surf Coast.
The teen was one of three young men body surfing at Cumberland River Beach.
One of the three “got into difficulty” shortly before 6pm, but when the other two tried to help him, all three of the men had trouble.
The trio made their way to shore before they collapsed, police said.
Witnesses, including an off-duty doctor, performed CPR and first aid before paramedics arrived, but the 19-year-old man from St Albans died.
One of the other men was flown to a Melbourne hospital in a serious condition and the third man was taken to a local hospital.
