Two brothers who drowned at a popular surf beach north of Gisborne on Saturday have been named by police.
Paul Christopher Wakelin, 23, from Gisborne, died after attempting to save his brother and a friend who were caught in a rip off Makorori Beach, police said.
His brother, John Wakelin, 18, is still missing and is presumed drowned.
The third young man, aged 20, was saved by a local surfer, police said today. He would not be officially identified by police at the request of the survivor's family, Senior Sergeant Maui Aben, of the Gisborne search and rescue squad, said.
The search for John Wakelin was continuing today. Police and Search and Rescue air observers were flying over the area in a fixed-wing aircraft, Mr Aben said, while Surf Lifesaving Club members went out on the water on IRBs, and Land Search and Rescue personnel were conducting a shoreline search.
