Any hope of finding alive an 18-year-old man who went missing in the sea off New Plymouth this morning is fading.
Surf lifesavers prepare to head out from Back Beach to search for man missing after his dinghy capsized. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
The man and his 26-year-old friend were clearing craypots about 6.30am when their dinghy capsized near Moturoa Island and they decided to swim for shore.
The older man threw a lifejacket to his companion when he began to struggle, but it was not known if he managed to put it on.
Senior Sergeant Thomas McIntyre Photo: RNZ/Robin Martin
Senior Sergeant Thomas McIntyre said the search - which included coastguard, surf life saving rescue boats and Port Taranaki's pilot vessel - would continue until it got dark, and would resume tomorrow if necessary.
But the chances of finding the missing man alive were diminishing with each passing hour, he said.
"It's a tragedy for the family if that's the case, that we can't locate this young man alive."
The 26-year-old was in a serious but stable condition in Taranaki Base Hospital.
The Coastguard searching near Lion Rock where the man was last seen. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Back Beach Photo: Phillip Capper / Flickr / Creative Commons