Police have all but given up hope of finding a missing teenage boatie in Taranaki alive, changing their search from rescue to recovery.
The 18-year-old man was with a 26-year-old man on a small boat at Paritutu near New Plymouth checking cray pots when their boat capsized.
Neither were wearing lifejackets, but the older man managed to swim around 500m back to shore to raise the alarm around 9:20am on Monday.
A large-scale search was launched and continued on Tuesday.
However, police now say a limited search will go on, though they'll now be looking for a body.
They thanked those involved in the search, including Coastguard, Surf Lifesavers and the local rescue helicopter.
The man's name won't be released yet, and the family have asked for privacy.
Newshub.
