Sea loss adds to family's anguish

The teenager presumed drowned in rough Queensland surf was on holiday with his father and brothers to escape the pain of the recent deaths of his mother and aunt.

The trip was delayed after one brother fell off a roof and broke both his legs.

Richard Doyle, 19, has not been seen since he went for a swim at Northcliffe Beach, near Surfers Paradise, at 7am on Monday.

His mother, Marilyn Doyle, died of cancer in July, and his aunt of an aneurism in November.

"It's just absolutely numbing," said long-time family friend Mary Garvie, who is house-sitting at the Doyle home in Queenstown.

"How much can one family take?"

Richard, father Peter and brothers Matt, 21, and Timmy, 16, were in Queensland after spending four days in Sydney.

They had decided to take the day off from tourist activities.

"Richard just happened to wake up early and left a note saying, 'I'm going for a swim'," Mrs Garvie said.

When he had not returned by 10am, they went looking. His clothes and wallet were found lying on the sand.

"They have been searching for him ever since," Mrs Garvie said.

A team of 18 police and lifesavers scoured the coastline all day yesterday looking for the teenager.

Senior Sergeant Mark Kelly, of the Gold Coast water police, said all signs pointed to Richard having gone into the water.

"If he's entered the water, I think there is no chance he's survived," he said.

Mr Kelly was confident police would find the body.

"It depends on surf conditions, but where this has happened before, people have washed up a few kilometres from where they have entered the water."

The overcast day had made water-depth perception poor and searching difficult, Mr Kelly said.

The search would resume at first light today.

Mrs Garvie said Richard was not the type to wander off.

He had epilepsy, but was on medication. Mrs Garvie understood he had taken it on Monday morning.

Since the news broke, friends and family had been pouring into theDoyle home with questions and offers of support.

"We're all networking and binding together. We're all here for the family, really," Mrs Garvie said.

An avid musician, Richard had just joined a band in Dunedin, where he was part-way through a sign-writing apprenticeship, Mrs Garvie said.

For Christmas, he had organised "the most amazing photo of the three boys".