Tourist missing in Samoa from same spot Kiwi sailor last seen at a year ago

Samoan emergency teams are searching for a tourist last seen at the To Sua Trench, in Upolu - the same place a Kiwi sailor went missing from last year. Photo / File

Search efforts are underway in Samoa to find a tourist last seen at a popular swimming spot - the same place a New Zealand sailor went missing from last year.

Samoan Police were called to the To Sua trenches, in Upolu, shortly before 3pm on Sunday, local time.

They had received a report of a missing Chinese tourist, Feng Nen Ming, who is thought to have been swept away while swimming there.

"Police and Fire and Emergency Authority responded to the request and have launched a search and rescue operation,'' a police statement said.

New Zealand sailor Joseph Tua. Tua went missing in Samoa last April. He was last seen at the popular tourist spot, the To Sua swimming hole. Photo / Supplied

"We advise members of the public and hotels to inform overseas guests in regards to the unpredictable conditions of the surrounding ocean.''

Police say they have recorded this as the second missing persons incident from the idyllic spot.

It is the same spot Auckland man Kilino Joseph Lemafo'e Tua, a Royal NZ Navy sailor, went missing from in April last year.

The 24-year-old, a junior sailor at the Devonport Naval Base, had arrived on the island on Friday, April 28, to visit family members.

The next morning, he visited an uncle's house. He left shortly afterwards to go exploring.

Tua's car and belongings - a bag, hat, iPad, wallet and passport - were later found near the To Sua Trench.

Authorities ruled that the young man either fell into the ocean or was struck by a rogue wave.

His body has never been found.

The To Sua trenches have long been a popular tourist attraction on the island. The unique land formation sees two giant holes joined by a lava tube cave.

One of the hole formations is the resulting 30m deep swimming pool that is accessed by a long ladder.

It is featured in many travel advertisements for Samoa and its scenic surroundings see it captured in photographs on a regular basis.