Zenaida Hunt, affectionately called Aida by the locals, was enjoying a day of fishing at the beach with her friend Beth when she was tragically pulled away by the waves. In a courageous effort to save her, Beth jumped into the water.

A local surfer assisted in bringing one of the women to shore, while the State Emergency Service (SES) recovered the other.

Aida’s husband, Michael, described her as a “sweetie”. 

He is now grappling with the loss of his wife.

“Not good at all… I’m all tense,” he said. 

Streaky Bay Mayor Travis Barber acknowledged the impact on the community as flags were flown at half-mast in the town centre.

“She was very quiet and unassuming but lovely, bubbly, always smiling, always said hello,” he said.

The mayor has described the unfortunate drownings as a tragic accident. Meanwhile, the council is considering the necessity of placing warning signs at some of the commonly frequented beaches to make the public aware of the potential hazards.

Only this week, it started rolling out safety initiatives to prevent coastal deaths following a number of fatal shark attacks in the area.