AN eye witness says two men were taking selfies in the water at Nobbys beach before one went missing in rough surf on Sunday night.
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Police hold grave fears for a University of Newcastle student who went missing in a five-metre swell at about 7pm last night.
Emergency services were called to Nobbys after reports two 23-year-old men were knocked into the water byt a wave.
A group of men who had been playing volleyball at the beach managed to help one of the men to safety, but the second man could not be found.
Tony Leacy, an ex fire fighter, was at Nobbys when it happened. He said the two men taking “selfies” in the water before being washed out into the surf.
“They were probably about up to their knees in the water taking selfies and the next thing they were being washed across the beach,” he said.
“One of them, the bigger guy, managed to grab onto the rocks but the other guy couldn’t make it. He was only a few metres away from the rocks but you could tell neither of them could swim.”
Police, lifeguards and concerned beachgoers line the shore 14 hours after two 23-year-olds were washed from rocks at the beach’s southern end into rough Sunday night surf.
Surf conditions have since eased.
Both men are understood to be members of the Hunter’s Pakistani community.
Friends have stood vigil as the search continues. One said the community was “broken” as search efforts stretched on.
It is understood the missing man had been studying at the University for about six months.
Witnesses helped the other man free from the surf but could not find the second man.
The rescued man is understood to have caught onto a rock after the pair were caught by the surf.
The missing man was last seen wearing a navy blue T-shirt and black jeans.
