A father of five, whose body was found by police divers yesterday, was warned by his partner not to go snorkelling along the same Hawke's Bay shoreline where another man recently died.
The family of 56-year-old Hastings man Ed Adams gathered at Pourerere Beach early yesterday morning, hoping the sea "would return him to us", his partner Ange said.
The Police National Dive Squad arrived just after midday to search for Mr Adams, who went missing about 2.30pm on Sunday while diving for kina and paua at the beach.
A search of the area by the Lowe Corporation rescue helicopter was unsuccessful on Sunday. Mr Adams' family "hoped for some good news but were prepared for the worst".
Nearly 24 hours later, his body was found about 2km south of the Pourerere Beach settlement, in waist-deep water, after an onshore police officer "spotted a fin" or flipper, search co-ordinator Detective Wayne Steed said.