Body of missing teenager found after large Northern Beaches search

The body of a teenager who went missing while swimming in the Northern Beaches on Saturday evening has been located.

Popular swimming spot, Freshwater Beach in Sydney’s north. Picture: Damian Shaw

The body of a teenager who went missing while swimming in the Northern Beaches on Saturday evening has been located.

Emergency services were called to Freshwater Beach about 8.45pm Saturday, after reports an 18-year-old man had gone missing while swimming.

An extensive search of the beach and surrounding waters commenced covering from North Curl Curl headland along the coastline to Bluefish Point.

Police were told he was swimming with two other male friends when they lost sight of him. The males returned to shore and contacted emergency services after they could not locate him.

The large scale search effort involved officers from Northern Beaches Police Area Command, the Marine Area Command, Surf Life Saving NSW, Marine Rescue, PolAir and the Toll Ambulance Rescue Helicopter.

The man’s body was recovered at 9.25am Sunday in the water, off Freshwater Beach.

While the body is yet to be formally identified, police are liaising with the missing man’s family.

SEARCH UNDERWAY FOR MISSING SWIMMER

A large scale search was underway at Freshwater Beach on Saturday night after a young man was reported missing.

It’s understood three young men went swimming at the beach about 8pm but one man, aged 18, did not come out of the water.

His two friends immediately raised the alarm and a search commenced about 8.15pm.

The Toll Rescue helicopter searched from the air, while police and surf lifesavers are also searching the waters.

Several people gathered at the popular Northern Beaches swimming spot as authorities searched for the missing teenager.

It comes after a horror summer on NSW waterways which has seen a record 28 people drown, forcing authorities to rethink how to keep swimmers safe at unpatrolled beaches.