Zenaida Hunt, known locally as Aida, and her friend Beth were fishing at the beach when she was swept away by waves, with Beth diving into the water in an attempt to rescue her.

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 labelled yesterday’s drownings as a tragic accident, but the council is looking into whether warning signs need to be placed at some of its popular beaches to alert people to the dangerous conditions.

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