A Unanderra family is grappling with the sudden loss of a woman described as the "nicest person ever" after she drowned on a family trip near Batemans Bay this week.
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Yuliya Pashkovska, 43, had been camping at Pebbly Beach with her husband Oleg Ryznyk, their two sons Markian, 13, and 11-year-old Vitaly, and her father Igor, who was visiting from Ukraine.
Her friend Alena Chouvaeva said the family had packed up their campsite and gone for one last dip before heading off when Ms Pashkovska got into difficulty in the surf.
Police said emergency services found a woman unconscious in the water after they were called to the beach 29 kilometres north-east of Batemans Bay about 1.15pm on Tuesday, March 19.
Surfers pulled Ms Pashkovska onto their boards and began CPR before the Westpac rescue helicopter winched her to shore.
There, paramedics continued the attempts to resuscitate her but tragically she could not be revived and died at the scene.
Ms Chouvaeva, who initially met Ms Pashkovksa through a mutual friend and spent time with her through the Ukrainian scouting organisation Plast NSW, described her as a caring, positive and active person.
"She was absolutely the nicest person ever," Ms Chouvaeva said.
Ms Pashkovska loved the beach and the outdoors, she said, and was a caring mother who did an "amazing job" raising her two boys.
"She was a beautiful mum," Ms Chouvaeva said.
Ms Pashkovska and Mr Ryznyk had been married almost 20 years and moved to Australia from Ukraine in 2006 before starting a family.
She was a doctor in her home country but became a nurse after arriving in Australia. Ms Chouvaeva said she always went "above and beyond for her patients, colleagues and the wider Illawarra community".
Ms Pashkovska was working at Wollongong Hospital at the time of her death and had recently begun studying to become a radiographer.
Ms Chouvaeva said Ms Pashkovska's family was "absolutely distraught" following her sudden death.
She has started an online fundraiser through GoFundMe to help Ms Pashkovska's family. As well as the unexpected funeral costs, Ms Chouvaeva said Mr Ryznyk was faced with paying off the mortgage on a single casual wage following the couple's recent purchase of a home in Unanderra.
He will also have to care for his sons without having family nearby, as they do not live in Australia.
The fundraiser can be found at www.gofundme.com/f/yuliya-pashkovska.
Ms Chouvaeva wants to highlight the importance of surf awareness and safety following her friend's death.
Ms Pashkovska was described as a competent swimmer, but her father reported that on the day of her death the surf conditions changed quickly after they entered the initially calm waters.
Pebbly Beach is an unpatrolled and secluded beach on the coastline of Murramarang National Park.
Since 2004, there have been three drownings in the Shellharbour local government area and eight in Kiama, but 45 in the Shoalhaven.
Surf Life Saving NSW said that Pebbly Beach, as well as other locations identified as high-risk, would be considered for beacon installation over the coming years.
Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
