A tight-knit NSW South Coast community has been rocked by the death of a world-renowned surfer and "pure gentleman".Manyana father and carpenter Nathan Bartlett , 43, died when he and his brother, Byron, got into trouble in waves close to Cape St George Lighthouse, near Jervis Bay, on Wednesday.Emergency services, including police, Marine Rescue NSW, Australian Federal Police and the navy, responded and Mr Bartlett was pulled from the water unresponsive about 1.50pm Him and his brother, it was just what they did," he said."Anywhere that had a hint of a tube, they'd surf it."We'd all try to find the best [barrelling] waves, that's obviously where the stoke is."Mr Bartlett's death has rocked the tight-knit South Coast community."The amount of people that are just coming in [to the surf shop] and staring blankly and embracing each other shows how raw it is," Mr Nyholm said.All three Bartlett brothers were accomplished boardriders on the South Coast, with Nathan's son Taylor also cementing himself as a successful "grommet", recently winning the Barton Lynch Blast Off 10-and-under division.Mr Bartlett is survived by his wife Hollie, his son and a daughter.