Nepalese student and McDonald's restaurant manager Lomash Parajuli, 26, was swimming with friends at an unpatrolled section of Avoca Beach on Monday when he became caught in a ferocious rip just after 1pm.

Two members of the public held him afloat for five minutes while surf lifesavers from North Avoca raced to the scene.

He was pulled ashore unconscious and later died in Gosford Hospital.

His death has prompted a huge outpouring of grief among his friends and colleagues at the fast food outlet in Waitara on Sydney's north shore.

They have paid tribute to the man better known as Lommie and described him as their "brother" and the "best manager ever".

"Yesterday the world was stripped of a character that literally was one of a kind," an assistant manager, Alex Murray, posted on Facebook.

"The man known for giving advice on how to pull glamours, the amount of times we stayed back to help each other out, the laughs, the I don't five a f--k moments."

Another worker said colleagues often referred to Mr Parajuli, from Asquith, as a brother.

"The ocean ... may have parted us today Brother Lommie Parajuli but it certainly can't erase the memories," Jaspreet Singh posted online. "It can't erase the fun of fighting like siblings, talking about life and joking about why we both are single and how we will end up getting hot chicks."

A colleague, Alana Thomas, said Mr Parajuli was often a "saviour" at work.

"That smile that could never be removed from his face would just make ur day," she said.

"He always knew how to start a ridiculous dance circle and would always try and drink you under the table but always seemed to forget that he was challenging Aussies. Lommie our maccas family will never be the same without you and we will never forget you".

Mr Parajuli was studying by correspondence at Melbourne Institute of Technology and had enjoyed travelling around Australia since moving from his homeland several years ago.

A post-mortem will determine how Mr Parajuli died and police are preparing a report for the coroner.