Bodies of surfcasters recovered and named

The bodies of two fishermen swept out to sea off Auckland's rugged west coast on Saturday have been recovered.

Police said today that the bodies were found washed up on a beach about 15km north off where they disappeared.

Police named the two dead fishermen as Peter Bill Radford Solomona, aged 32, and Teremaki "Kimi" Enoka, 19, both from Otara.

The men disappeared while fishing with two other friends at Karioitahi Beach, southwest of Waiuku, on Saturday afternoon.

The younger man is thought to have been swept out to sea when he entered the water to free his snagged line.

His companion was swept away when he went to his aid.

Police said the men were not doing anything foolish and it was an absolute tragedy.

The first body was found yesterday morning and the second was found in the afternoon .

Local residents say they were fishing at the mouth of the Waikato River where the riverbank shelved steeply. They say they two men may not have realised the danger from the deep channel and the fierce tidal current.

The other two friends were unable to help the pair as they were swept away.

- NZPA