Body found off Lennox Head beach, thought to be that of missing teenager

Police have retrieved the body of a man from waters off Lennox Head, believed to be a 19-year-old man who went missing on Friday evening.

Police have retrieved the body of a man from waters off Lennox Head, believed to be the 19-year-old man who went missing on Friday evening.

The crew of PolAir 5 had been searching the area on Sunday morning when they directed a team of police divers to a location near the northern end of Seven Mile Beach.

The body of a man was recovered by divers about 10.15am and has been taken to Ballina by Water Police.

While the body has yet to be formally identified, it is believed to be that of a 19-year-old man reported missing while swimming at Lennox Head about 6pm on Friday when he was caught in a rip.

The man’s family was at the beach this morning and has been provided with support by local police.

A search effort underway at Lennox Head where a teenager went missing while swimming.

Surf Life Saving Far North Coast duty officer Chris Samuels said considering the circumstances it was an outcome to provide the family with some closure.

“Surf life savers did an outstanding effort, they were on the water again assisting the police early this morning,” Mr Samuels said.

“They did a great job with their search efforts.”

Personal belongings were found unattended on the beach near the surf club on Friday and about 7pm a man approached police at the scene with concerns his 19-year-old son had not returned from a swim.

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter was tasked by NSW Ambulance to conduct an aerial search on Friday late in the afternoon.

Police, surf life savers and other agencies at Lennox Head where they were searching for a missing 19-year-old man who was caught in a rip while swimming on December 17, 2021, at about 6pm.

Surf Life Saving Club members – involving multiple boardriders, inflatable rescue boats, drones and personal watercraft – looked for the man until nightfall, while police, Marine Rescue and the helicopter continued to search until 10pm, when the operation was suspended.

The search efforts continued Saturday with rescuers looking from Lennox Head Main Beach up to Broken Head while Marine Police travelled from Tweed and Byron to assist.

Up to 15 people were searching on the water at any one time, with at least 50 people helping out throughout the day on Saturday.

The search continued until about 7.30pm with the assistance of Polair, and swung back into action at 7am on Sunday.

A search effort was underway at Lennox Head where a teenager went missing while swimming.

Mr Samuels said it was important for swimmers to stay between the red and yellow flags and swim during patrolled hours as conditions at the beach can change quickly.

He said counselling will be provided for the surf life savers and volunteers who helped with the search.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.