A teenage swimmer who disappeared during a Christmas Day dip is still missing and feared dead.
The 17-year-old and his girlfriend went for an afternoon swim at Wanganui's Castlecliff Beach after Christmas lunch. They were swimming beside one another, close to the surf club, when he was caught in a rip.His partner noticed he was in trouble and tried to raise the alarm.
It's understood he disappeared beneath the surface very quickly, and was not seen again. Emergency services were called to the west coast beach at about 3.55pm and an extensive air, land and water search was launched.However, after having found no sign of the teen by about 9.30pm, the effort was suspended.
The police-led search resumed at 6am today. A spokesman at Castlecliff Surf Club said lifeguards had a boat in the water."We've had no luck at the moment," he said.
The spokesman said conditions were calm and clear, and the surf was flat. Wanganui Inspector Gini Welch, said they had "searched everywhere we can".