2.45PM UPDATE: The search for a fisherman who has not been seen since he was swept off a rock platform in Jervis Bay early Monday morning has been suspended.
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Emergency services were alerted about 2.30am that a man had been swept into the sea near Little Beecroft Head.
Police have been told the man was fishing with three friends at the time.
Port Kembla Water Police, PolAir, the Rescue Helicopter and Lifesaver Helicopter were called in to search for the man, however, the search was suspended about midday, pending further information.
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Police have been told the man could not swim, nor was he wearing a life jacket.
Police have been told the man is aged 28 and from Winston Hills. He was with three friends, a 24-year-old man Lane Cove, a 25-year-old man from Carlingford, and a 28-year-old man from Cammeray.
Local police will continue foot patrols of the shore.
NOON UPDATE: Due to rough conditions a vessel from Nowra/Culburra Surf Life Saving was turned back from the search for a missing fisherman in heavy seas off Beecroft Peninsula.
11.50AM UPDATE: Police say a fisherman swept off a rock platform in Jervis Bay early Monday morning was not believed to be wearing a life jacket.
Police have been told the man was fishing with three friends at the time.
Port Kembla Water Police, PolAir, the Rescue Helicopter and Lifesaver Helicopter are continuing to search the area.
Supt Hutchings said rock fishing could be a high-risk activity even in calm conditions, and in dangerous surf conditions, it had the potential for disastrous outcomes.
"Before you head out, check the tides, swell and weather forecasts for the time you intend to be out," Supt Hutchings said.
"If you decide it is safe to head out, have a careful look at conditions before venturing onto a rock platform.
"Most importantly, ALWAYS wear a life jacket and proper shoes.
"Even the most experienced rock fishermen can be swept into the water and a life jacket can be the difference between a frightening experience and disaster," Supt Hutchings said.
7AM: POLICE, Ambulance and Marine Rescue personnel are searching for a fisherman who was swept into the sea near Currarong early this morning.
Three vessels from Marine Rescue Shoalhaven and Jervis Bay have been looking for the man following a report received at 2.27am that two fishermen had been washed off rocks at Mermaids Inlet, near Jervis Bay. This report was later revised to one person missing.
An Ambulance rescue helicopter, a NSW Police vessel and volunteers from two Marine Rescue NSW
Illawarra region units are continuing the search in rough conditions.
MRNSW Regional Controller Bruce Mitchell said a life ring and esky had been retrieved from the ocean not far from where the man had been washed in.
Mr Mitchell said the man had been fishing with a group of three others, who had raised the alarm when he was washed into the sea.
“They threw him a life ring but in the darkness, they weren’t sure if it reached him,” he said.
The Marine Rescue vessels are conducting a grid search between Beecroft and Little Beecroft and out to one nautical mile.
