Police have put out a statement this evening, the search has ended for today and will restart tomorrow.
Police will resume their search tomorrow for a missing man off Pataua South after a long day of coordinated efforts on the water. The man was one of two people onboard a boat reported overdue on Friday night. The vessel was found adrift on Saturday morning with no one aboard, and soon afterwards the body of one occupant was recovered.
Search teams from Police, the Police Dive Squad, LandSAR, and volunteers from Coastguard Tūtūkākā and Coastguard Whangārei spent the day scouring the coastline and surrounding waters but were unable to locate the second person. LandSAR and Coastguard teams were stood down at dusk, while the Dive Squad continued until dark and will return to the water in the morning.
Detective Sergeant Paul Overton acknowledged the extensive effort from all agencies and offered particular thanks to local residents who have supported the search teams and families throughout the day. Police are asking anyone who notices anything unusual in the water to call 111 immediately.
