Volunteers from Marine Rescue NSW have been stood down for the day from the search for a missing 15-year-old boy

Under the direction of Marine Area Command, volunteers from Marine Rescue Terrigal aboard the vessel Terrigal 30 have been stood down for the day from the multi-agency search for a missing 15-year-old last seen in the water at North Avoca Beach yesterday afternoon.

Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Courtney Greenslade said conditions “were good to fair, as the easterly winds have picked up slightly above forecast since just before lunch.”

“The crew on Terrigal 30 began the search at 9:00 am after spending several hours searching yesterday afternoon and were stood down for the day at 2:45pm.

“They conducted a parallel line search from North Avoca to The Skillion at Terrigal.

“The commitment displayed by our volunteers both on the water and in radio operations yesterday and today has been exceptional, with our volunteers giving up their Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to continue the search.

“Our crews have returned to base and are awaiting further instructions from Marine Area Command,” Inspector Greenslade said.