A man has drowned and several children have been taken to hospital after they were pulled from the water at a Tasmanian beach.

Police and emergency services were called to Cooee Beach just after 4.30pm on Sunday after reports a man and several children were experiencing difficulty in strong currents.

Surf Life Saving personnel also attended.

Despite attempts to revive him, the man died at the scene.

Police said the children were taken to the North West Regional Hospital where they were admitted for observation.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

Victoria’s horror run continues

A man has died and two others are fighting for life after being pulled unconscious from the water at a beach off Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.

The trio, who are yet to be formally identified, were swimming in the ocean at Marengo near Apollo Bay when they got into trouble on Sunday afternoon, police said.

A woman who was passing by was able to bring the men to shore one by one as others on the beach attempted to resuscitate them.

One of the men was taken to Barwon Health in Geelong where he was  in a stable condition on Sunday night.

The other man was taken to The Alfred hospital, where he remained in a serious condition.

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

Four people died at an unpatrolled beach on Victoria’s Phillip Island in January, in what was the state’s most deadly drowning event in about two decades.

There were 55 coastal drownings across the country this summer – 19 of them in Victoria.

-AAP