Searchers return to Piha to continue looking for missing fisherman at low tide

Large swells hampered the first day of searching for the fisherman who fell into the water near Keyhole in Piha yesterday morning. Photo / Michael Craig

The search for the fisherman who has been missing after falling off Camel Rock in Piha yesterday will resume this morning.

Search and rescue crews will today return at low tide to scour the area where the man had been fishing with a friend near the Keyhole before slipping into the choppy ocean.

The man has been missing for more than 24 hours after first being reported missing around 5.30am on Tuesday.

A Police media spokesperson said search efforts would resume today.

As well as the LandSAR land-based search at around 10.30am to coincide with low-tide, the Police Eagle helicopter will also assist with an air-based search during the day where possible.

Yesterday large swells of up to 2.5m hampered the search as it was deemed too risky for the Piha Surf Club's IRB and jet skis to hit the water.

Lifeguards and police officers searched along the beach and around the rocks where the man was swept off and both the Police Eagle and Westpac helicopters carried out aerial searches with no success.

It is the third incident near Piha's Keyhole in the past six months.

A fisherman was given first aid after being washed off the rocks early morning on Easter Sunday and last October three people were swept out of the Keyhole and were rescued by the Piha Emergency Callout Squad using an IRB. In the previous two incidents, the people managed to get help.