Father watches as searchers scour NSW coast for his son

A grief-stricken father spent the day holding a lonely vigil in the spot his 14-year-old son was tragically swept out to sea.

Bronson Rhodes and two of his friends disappeared in rough surf at Flynns Beach in Port Macquarie, on the NSW mid-north coast, on Saturday afternoon.

Two of the boys were rescued from the water but the Kendall teenager is still missing, presumed drowned. 

Bronson Rhodes (pictured) and two of his friends disappeared in rough surf at Flynns Beach in Port Macquarie, on the NSW mid-north coast, on Saturday afternoon.

Searchers scoured the coastline for Bronson and a body was sighted on the rocks, however the rescue operation was cut short due to rough conditions. 

The father of the popular rugby player stayed put on the closed beach as he awaited news of his son’s fate, Seven News reports. 

He was forced to watch helplessly as searchers on jet-skis, boats and helicopters combed the empty stretch of coastline.

Authorities will resume the search – which is now believed to be a retrieval operation – at daybreak on Monday. 

Searchers scoured the coastline (pictured) for Bronson and a body was sighted on the rocks, however the rescue operation was cut short due to rough conditions

Friends of the missing teen have paid tribute on social media, describing Bronson as a ‘brave young man with a huge heart’.

‘When I heard that you were gone I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,’ Blade Hogan, a 20-year-old friend of Bronson’s older brother Bill, wrote online.  

‘I’m still struggling to believe it’s real you were a brave young man with a huge heart and you had much respect about yourself and towards others you were very loved by many and will be dearly missed.’

Searchers pictured keeping a close eye on the rough sea as they search for the 14-year-old boy

The incident comes only two weeks after an 11-year-old boy was sucked out to sea at nearby Lighthouse Beach.

The boy’s mother could only watch as her son, who was waist-deep in water, was caught in a rip on December 6 while his 17-year-old brother tried to rescue him. 

The child’s body is also yet to be recovered.