The search for a missing teenager swept into the ocean on Christmas Eve has now turned into a recovery operation.
Luca Bennett, 15, was playing with friends at North Avoca Rocks on the New South Wales Central Coast on Christmas Eve when the group was swept into the water.
Emergency services said Thursday morning they had reduced their operation to a recovery effort.
The Scots College student, a promising basketball player, was playing on the rocks at Avoca Beach on Tuesday afternoon when a rogue wave swept him off the rocks.
Two of Luca’s friends managed to climb to safety, but Luca himself did not reappear.
Emergency services rushed to the beach and two helicopters scanned the waters near a rock platform at the northern end of the beach.
More to come…
Luca Bennett is a popular student and a top basketball player.
The search, which included staff from NSW Police, a NSW Ambulance, local surf lifeguards and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service (pictured), scoured the water where he was last seen .