Two months after a fisherman drowned when he was washed off the Wollongong Harbour breakwall and Transport for NSW Maritime has taken action this week to improve safety in the area.

It was shortly before sunrise on Good Friday when a Sydney fisherman was swept to his death after being struck by a monstrous wave that crashed over the breakwall. Witnesses said he was thrown into the water at the entrance to the harbour through a large gap in the metal safety fence which had collapsed several months earlier.

The death was the second at the same location in three years. A Balgownie man drowned in similar circumstances during huge seas in July 2022.

Following the most recent death NSW Maritime put cyclone fencing up and warning signs saying the breakwall was 'temporarily closed' to try to stop people from fishing in the popular but dangerous location. The majority of people seemed to ignore those measures and pushed the fencing aside to continue to give them access.

When contacted by The Illawarra Flame in late April a spokesman for NSW Maritime indicated new safety fencing wouldn't be installed until early next year.

"The type of fencing design and its efficacy form an integral part of the 'Safety in Design' stage of the handrail replacement project, which is in development and due to commence on site in early 2026," said Executive Director NSW Maritime Mark Hutchins.

However, this week, contractors engaged by NSW Maritime have been on site to replace the safety fence.

On Monday, a handful of fishermen were asked to leave the breakwall to allow work to commence on replacing the missing sections of fence.

Over the next few days the contractors will return to remove the rusting old metal barrier, replacing it with the new fencing.

Fishing on the breakwall is off limits until the fence replacement has been finalised. The work is expected to be completed by next weekend.

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Drowning sparks calls for urgent safety measures at Wollongong Harbour breakwall