Two brothers who drowned at a popular surf beach north of Gisborne on Saturday have been named by police.
Paul Christopher Wakelin, 23, from Gisborne, died after attempting to save his brother and a friend who were caught in a rip off Makorori Beach, police said.
His brother, John Wakelin, 18, is still missing and is presumed drowned.
The third young man, aged 20, was saved by a local surfer, police said today. He would not be officially identified by police at the request of the survivor's family, Senior Sergeant Maui Aben, of the Gisborne search and rescue squad, said.
The search for John Wakelin was continuing today. Police and Search and Rescue air observers were flying over the area in a fixed-wing aircraft, Mr Aben said, while Surf Lifesaving Club members went out on the water on IRBs, and Land Search and Rescue personnel were conducting a shoreline search.
Family members of the two brothers were assisting with the search effort, Mr Aben said.
It was believed John Wakelin and his friend got into difficulty while swimming in metre-plus surf about 100 metres off the beach, around 10am on Saturday.
Paul Wakelin's body was found around half an hour later.