A desperate search isunder way for a youth believed to have been swept out to sea at Waihi Beach this afternoon.Police received reports of a person in difficulty in the surf near the Waihi Beach Top 10 Holiday Park on Beach Rd about 12.40pm, a spokeswoman said.
The missing personwas part of a group at the beach, she said. Residents understood he is a boy of about 17 from the Hamilton area.
Coastguard, surf lifesavers and search and rescue teams were helping with the efforts.
Police described the sea conditions as rough and two local residents told the Bay of Plenty Times surf conditions were "quite gnarly".
A Waihī Beach Surf Lifesaving Club representative said lifeguards were in the water and "giving it their best effort".
A Surf Lifesaving New Zealand spokeswoman said Waihī's emergency callout squad were searching in two IRBs.
Two Coastguard vessels were out searching, along with the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter, which had carried out grid searches in the area, she said.
The search would continue for another two hours at least, the spokeswoman said about 5pm.
