A teenager is missing after being swept from rocks at a notoriously dangerous fishing spot in the New South Wales Illawarra.
Berkeley resident Brendon Hurd, 19, was knocked into the water by a wave at Hill 60 in Port Kembla, south of Wollongong, on Monday afternoon.
The man's friends, aged 17 and 50, were also swept into the water but were pulled ashore by people at the scene.
The teen and the man suffered minor injuries.
The search has resumed this morning after emergency services were forced to call off the operation yesterday evening due to deteriorating light and conditions.
"Surf Life Saving, Marine Rescue, Marine Area Command and NSW SES and lifeguards are on scene," Surf Life Saving Illawarra director Anthony Turner said.
"We have light drizzle and visibility is poor due to it being overcast and the low cloud cover.
'Tragic occurrence'
Mr Turner said it was a "devastating scene" for crews who responded after onlookers raised the alarm.
"It's a tragic occurrence and we will do everything we can today," he said.
"We just need people to heed the warning and take all of the precautions when they're around rock platforms.
'Treacherous' conditions
NSW Police Superintendent Craig Ireland said rescue crews used dye bombs to determine the direction of the current and were assessing whether it was safe to send in divers.
"The sea conditions have been heavy and this wasn't the only incident yesterday — there was another one at Killalea, which is a few kilometres down, and there was a rescue there as well," he said.
"I would have to say that conditions were a little bit on the treacherous side, but it doesn't matter — the conditions seem calm, but a freak wave can happen at any time.
Superintendent Ireland also praised the bystanders who helped with the rescue, but urged people to think carefully before taking action.
"That is heroic by all means, but you really have to consider if you are putting yourself at risk or jeopardy when you do that sort of thing," he said.
"We don't want to see more people become victims."
Renewed call for safety mandate
Superintendent Ireland also said it was time for a rethink on mandating life vests.
"I would like to see life jackets be made mandatory for rock fishing, as they are at the moment for vessels," he said.
Five fishermen have been killed after being swept from the same rock platform over the past 12 months.
The deaths have prompted unsuccessful calls for better education about the dangers of rock fishing and for life jackets to be mandatory for those engaging in the activity.
Wollongong Council later erected multilingual safety signage the popular fishing spot that emphasised the number of fatalities at the site.
