Rescuers have lost hope of finding alive a teenage boy swept off rocks at a popular beach.
Luca Bennett went missing at about 3pm on Christmas Eve off North Avoca Beach on the NSW Central Coast.
The 15-year-old aspiring basketballer was one of three teenagers swept from the rocks and into the sea when the group was hit by a wave.
Two of the boys scrambled back onto the rocks before raising the alarm.
Search efforts on Christmas Day involving police, NSW Ambulance, Surf Life Saving NSW, Central Coast Council Lifeguards and a rescue helicopter failed to find Bennett.
Police said on Thursday morning rescue crews had moved “into a recovery phase with resources being scaled back” following expert advice.
Tributes were being shared online for the Central Coast teen as his family honoured their “perfect son”.
Parents Michelle and Jason expressed their gratitude to rescue crews and the community for their efforts in searching for their son.
“Yesterday we lost our darling beloved Luca J,” the teenager’s mother wrote in a Facebook post.
“Everyone is doing the best they can to search for him and bring him home to us … we are so grateful.
“He was the most perfect son, and we can’t believe it’s real.”
Photos posted online showed friends gathering on Christmas Day to honour the missing teenager beneath a tribute etched onto a rock face.
“Luca Bennett 2009-2024. Forever 15,” it read.
Luca Bennett disappeared after being swept off a rock shelf at North Avoca Beach. Source: Supplied / Marine Rescue NSW
Inspector Benjamin Campbell of Brisbane Water Police District described the incident as “very tragic”, adding his heart went out to the family.
“It’s just a timely reminder of how dangerous the rocks can be around the ocean and how everyone has to be really careful,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
Emergency services, including police and surf life savers as well as volunteers from Marine Rescue NSW, had been searching in choppy conditions and a swell of up to 3m since the teenager was reported missing.