She raised the alarm at 3.30pm and a search began.
Four lifesaving boats, a Westpac Rescue Helicopter and the Eagle police helicopter began to scour the area but the search was called off when conditions became too dangerous for rescuers.
Mr Faitaua's family took turns staying on the beach, praying and hoping he would come back to them.
A second search was then carried out at daybreak yesterday with a sweep of the area by the Eagle police helicopter. Rescuers found no sign of Mr Faitaua.
At 12.30pm yesterday afternoon a full-scale search was launched with rescuers looking in a 2km radius of where Johnny went missing.
Northern Region Surf Life Saving manager David Butt said the search was focused in the north because of the current.
As the search went on in the waters in front of them, family members continued arriving.
In the baking hot sun they shared their hope and grief, trying to stay strong as the minutes passed by.
More relatives were on flights from Australia and Samoa to add their support to a growing throng.
Ms Faitaua, mother of three, said her son was "kind, gentle and quiet".
"He is always at home with us so we are very close to him. The whole family is very close-knit," she said.
"He is such a loving boy."
Soon to be in his second year studying music at Massey University, Mr Faitaua was a talented keyboard and piano player.
"He loves what he does. It took him a while to find what he loves but once he found it, he knew he was on the right path," Ms Faitaua said.
Mr Faitaua's brother Phillip said he was in shock after the news and was still coming to terms with it.
"It feels so surreal. You hear of these things happening to other people but you never think that something like this would happen to someone in your family," he said.
"It is just a tragic accident."
Mr Butt said the third search carried out yesterday afternoon had been unsuccessful.
"From here we will just be carrying out sporadic searches over the next few days. We are hoping to find him within that timeline."
The West Coast beach was a notoriously dangerous beach, Mr Butt said.
"It is a reminder to people to make sure they swim between the flags at all times," he said.
Ms Faitaua has vowed she will stay at the beach until her son is found.
"I want to find an answer. I want to know what has happened to him and we will wait here on the beach as long as it takes until we get that answer.
"I just want to see him or hear someone say they have found him. [This feeling] is unexplainable.
"We are very hopeful that he will be returned to us and we are praying for help."NZME.
