Man's shocking close call as iconic beach washed away by king tide

Monster swells are washing away the iconic beach at the popular tourist town of Byron Bay in Northern NSW.

Huge tides, gale force winds and heavy rain have caused “massive” coastal erosion on Byron Bay's Main Beach, with the worst still yet to come.

A walkway was filmed collapsing into the ocean on another beach in Byron Bay while a man was standing on it, causing him to drop as the timber planks fell beneath him.

Photos showed the sand on Main Beach become entirely inundated with water overnight and clogged with fallen trees.

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Dean Narramore says torrential rain will continue from Brisbane down to Yamba in northern NSW, with 100 to 250mm expected in the next 24 hours.

“This morning we've observed waves offshore around the eight metre mark,” he said.

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“We'll see a big king tide today, very high tides again tomorrow.

“We could see waves of three-to-five metres come into shore ... today and into tomorrow.”

Fears for beachside homes as king tide hits

Concerns have grown for beachside homes and businesses, with building being tortured by massive swell and unrelenting wind gusts.

Sand dunes are sinking away rapidly and trees are dropping in the giant king tide, which will reportedly peak at 1.91m just before 10am tomorrow. It will be the biggest so far this year.

“The king tide is causing major coastal and beach erosion from Coffs Harbour all the way up through to the Sunshine Coast,” Mr Narramore said, according to The Australian.

“There is already major erosion into Byron Bay and numerous other beaches are experiencing that right now.”

There have been waves up to eight metres in heigh offshore and between three and five metres onshore, Mr Narramore said.

Dramatic photos from coastal spots have flooded social media throughout the wild weather event, with one waterfront restaurant in Redcliffe shown being smashed with waves nearly as tall as its roof.

Flood warnings are currently in place for large parts of Northern NSW, with areas north of Nambucca Heads, on the mid north NSW coast, expected to see 100mm fall by the end of today.

“We could see greater than 50mm over a broad area in that region, with potential for up to around 100mm over the 24 hours,” Weatherzone meteorologist Tom Hough told Yahoo News Australia.

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