A young man who died after falling from a Sydney cliff while reportedly taking photos and whale-watching was a Morman missionary from Utah who'd been in Australia for almost a year.
Gavin Paul Zimmerman, 19, fell at least 10 metres at Cape Solander in Kurnell on Monday afternoon.
Police, with the help of a rescue helicopter, found him floating in the water and pulled him - unconscious - to dry land.
Paramedics performed CPR but he could not be revived.
Photo of Zimmerman courtesy The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Source: Supplied
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints confirmed Mr Zimmerman was with other missionaries when the tragedy happened.
In a statement, Mr Zimmerman's parents said their son was a high school track and football athlete who came to Sydney last August for a proselyting mission.
He had a deep religious faith and had served in several leadership positions, they said.
Mayor of Sutherland, Carmelo Pesce, said he had been told that police recovered a phone with photographs of the teenager taken moments before he fell, which showed him close to the edge, according to the ABC.
Missions are considered rites of passage for many Mormons, with men serving two years and women 18 months.
Image of emergency efforts. Source: Nine Network
Mr Zimmerman's death comes barely six weeks after a man in his 30s fell from the same popular whale-watching spot and died.
NSW Police Chief Inspector Chris Hill urged anyone visiting the area to take heed of warning signs.
"Those rocks are very slippery. For your safety, we recommend that you stay up on the whale-watching platform and please don't go down on the rocks," he said.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service describes Cape Solander as "one of Sydney's best whale watching spots".
June and July are the best times to see humpback whales off the NSW east coast as they migrate north to warmer waters.
