Police name man swept out to sea on west coast

View from the top of Maunganui Bluff. Peter De Graaf

Police say the 18-year-old man swept out to sea on Northland's west coast on Saturday was Patea Douglas Tane-Hohaia.

The man was one of three sucked out in rough seas as they tried to fish with a net, north of Maunganui Bluff, 42km north west of Dargaville, about 1pm on Saturday. A 21-year-old remained in a stable condition in Whangarei Hospital.

But the body of a third man had remained at sea with rough sea conditions preventing recovery.

About midday yesterday a body washed ashore and could be that of the missing 27-year-old fisherman.

Whangarei/Kaipara area commander Inspector Tracy Phillips said the body was discovered by locals on the south side of the Maunganui Bluff, northwest of Dargaville.

"We can't confirm yet whether it is the [missing] person until we've gone through the formal identification process," Ms Phillips said.