A man has died after being pulled from the water near Rye pier

A man has died after being pulled from the water near Rye pier, despite the desperate efforts of emergency crews to save him.

A man has died after being pulled from the water near the pier at Rye.

Police divers found the body of a man in waters at the Mornington Peninsula on Saturday afternoon.

It is understood the man entered the water off the pier at Rye about 2.45pm.

He was unable to be located for about 30 minutes until the Air Wing found him in the water about 3.15pm.

Police divers retrieved the man, who was on Saturday evening yet to be formally identified, and brought him back to shore.

Emergency crews performed CPR on the man but he died at the scene.

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

Rye and its surrounding beach towns have been at the centre of several devastating drownings in the past 12 months.

Promising rugby player Jona Kinivuwai was swept away in a deadly rip at Rye in February which sparked a push for further water safety measures.

The 20-year-old was caught in a rip while swimming with a mate at Number Sixteen Beach.

That came after a man drowned off the pier on January 5 while a kayaker was pulled from the water at Rosebud late last year.