Desperate search continues for missing swimmer at Fairy Meadow Beach on NSW south coast

An extensive water and air search has been launched for a young man who went missing while swimming with friends at a popular beach on the NSW south coast.

The swimmer, aged in his 20s, was seen struggling in the water about 100 meters offshore at Fairy Meadow Beach at around 6.30pm on Sunday evening.

Friends raised the alarm after the man did not return to shore.

Marine Rescue NSW crews spent several hours trying to find the missing swimmer before the initial search was called off.

The search resumed at 7am on Monday, involving dozens of Marine Rescue NSW and Surf Life Saving NSW members in inflatable rescue craft and on jet skis.

Crews are working with NSW Police Marine officers along a 14km stretch of coastline between Bellambi Point and Port Kembla.

A rescue helicopter was also deployed to assist in the search.

Ships are also conducting a parallel line search in choppy conditions hampered by northeasterly winds of 25-30 km/h.

There was a strong wind warning in place for much of the NSW coastline on Monday, including the Illawarra.

“We have FLIR cameras (forward-looking infrared cameras) so we can use those to look for heat signatures, and the other side is we have our sonar technology so we also look for things underwater,” Marine Rescue NSW Stuart Massey told ABC.

‘Police have also done some drift modeling and we are covering some designated areas they have identified, as well as some local knowledge to determine where best to go.’

Fairy Meadow Beach is currently closed to the public while the search continues.

It is understood there were no lifeguards on the beach at the time the swimmer went missing, but assisted with the initial search on Sunday evening.

There was no supervision at Fairy Meadow Beach (pictured) when the swimmer disappeared 100 meters offshore

An extensive water and air search resumed Monday morning

According to Surf Life Saving NSW, Fairy Meadow beach is notorious for dangerous rips and sandbars.

‘The beach receives waves averaging 1.5 meters at its center in the north, decreasing to 1 meter towards the south, resulting in a single bar intersected by cracks every 200 meters, with up to 14 cracks along the beach,” the website said.

‘The size and intensity of the cracks tend to decrease along the beach. The intermediate bar becomes established during periods of lower waves, especially in the south, while higher waves will produce a continuous trough occupied by currents, and occasionally a second outer bar along the northern half of the beach.’

‘Towradgi has a strong, permanent crack against the northern rocks, with the flags usually placed behind the first bar to the south. The rips continue all the way to Fairy Meadow and beyond, so stay between the flags and on the bars and avoid the rips along the beach.”

An initial search for the swimmer on Sunday evening was postponed until the morning