Please attribute to Nelson Bays Area Commander Inspector Matt Scoles:
The search for the missing swimmer at Maruia Falls will continue over the weekend.
Today members of Police staff and Land Search and Rescue volunteers continued their search for the missing 26-year-old Christchurch man, who failed to resurface after jumping into the water last Friday.
The team encountered another day of challenging conditions, with very poor visibility reported.
An extensive search of the pools on the east side of the river beneath the falls was undertaken, utilising a submersible camera from a raft tethered on the river.
A second team, made up of four swimmers and two inflatable rescue boats coordinated a thorough search of the river downstream for approximately two kilometres.
Sadly, the missing swimmer was not located.
We remain in close contact with the family at this difficult time and will continue to do so to provide them with any necessary support.
We will continue to do all that we can to locate the man and return him to his family.
Search efforts are expected to resume tomorrow and river conditions will be constantly reassessed.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
