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A 70-year-old man died while snorkelling off the coast of Marlborough yesterday.
Blenheim police said they were told the man was missing off Ward Beach, about 50km south of Blenheim, at 5pm.
"The diver entered the water alone at 3pm intending to gather paua while his wife and child picnicked on the beach," a police spokesman said.
"Conditions were ideal at the time, but deteriorated rapidly with an abrupt southerly change while the diver was in the sea."
The local community turned out and formed the initial search team.
Police said the searchers included two commercial divers who continued their search in trying conditions.
Other locals scoured the beach on foot and with quad bikes, while others scanned the sea with binoculars from vantage points.
The Wellington Westpac rescue helicopter found the man's body floating on the surface about 100 metres offshore, 1.4km north of where he entered the water.
"Blenheim police would like to thank the Ward community for their phenomenal assistance," the police spokesman said.
The cause of the man's death was not known and the matter had been referred to the coroner.
- NZPA
