Family members found one of the missing man's gloves overnight. The second was found when the official search resumed at first light yesterday. The police dive squad arrived about 11am, first searching the seabed where the man was last seen, then carrying out a systematic grid search of the wider area. A decision would be made at nightfall about whether to continue today, Mr Metcalfe said.
"He's an experienced diver, he's been diving here for the last four to five days without incident, and he was in 3-5m of water 50m offshore ... so it's a really a mystery what's happened."
Mr Metcalfe said this summer had already seen an exceptional number of drownings, many of which could have been avoided with simple precautions.
"The fine weather means there's large numbers of people on the water, but they're making the same basic mistakes and paying for it with their lives," he said.
He urged swimmers to be aware of powerful rips on the west coast and boaties to always wear a lifejacket and let someone know where they were going. Divers should not dive alone, or have someone watching all the time, and young children needed to be watched constantly.
"Take your eyes off them for a moment and they're gone."
It is understood the 6-year-old girl who got into difficulty at Oke Bay, near Rawhiti, on Thursday remains in a serious condition in Starship Hospital.
Complicating yesterday's search was a stiff onshore wind which was stirring up whitecaps, and the fact the missing man was wearing a green camouflage freediving suit.
