Police have recovered what’s believed to be the body of a young man who drowned in a Christmas Day tragedy on Phillip Island in Victoria.
The human remains were found during the search for a swimmer missing off Cape Woolamai on Tuesday.
Hermant Govekar was spotted by surfers in trouble about 5.30pm on Monday, but quickly disappeared from sight.
It is believed the body is that of the 28-year-old Indian man.
Police have recovered what’s believed to be the body of a young man who drowned in a Christmas Day tragedy on Phillip Island in Victoria (pictured)
The human remains were found during the search for a swimmer (pictured) missing off Cape Woolamai on Tuesday
Hermant Govekar (pictured) was spotted by surfers in trouble about 5.30pm on Monday, but quickly disappeared from sight
Mr Govekar was reportedly swept out in rough surf in front of his terrified sister and her husband.
He had recently finished university in Brisbane and decided to go for a swim after the family attended the Phillip Island Penguin Parade.
The dangerous ocean pulled Mr Govekar out past the surfers, with one woman saying she got within a metre of the struggling swimmer before he disappeared underwater and did not resurface.
The beach was closed on Christmas Day and there were no lifeguards on duty.
‘He just went in there from the ramp down got in the water and he was sucked straight away,’ Mr Govekar’s cousin Abhi Toraskar told Seven.
‘I just can’t process it. It is just a massive, massive loss.’
His parents are travelling from India to be with the rest of the family that are currently in Australia.
Mr Govekar (pictured) was reportedly swept out in rough surf in front of his terrified sister and her husband
The dangerous ocean pulled Mr Govekar (pictured) out past the surfers, with one woman saying she got within a metre of the struggling swimmer before he disappeared underwater and did not resurface
He was the second Indian man to drown on the east coast on Christmas Day after 22-year-old Ravneet Singh Gill was caught in rough surf on the far NSW north coast.
Mr Singh, a student from India who was described friends as ‘golden hearted’, died after eight people were rescued when swept out to sea at Duranbah Beach on Christmas Day.
The group began drifting into deeper waters around 4pm on Monday, as two surf lifesavers and and surfers raced out to help bring them to shore.
Mr Singh was found face down in the water when help reached him, and despite lifesavers describing it as a routing rescue, he was unable to be saved after 30 minutes of CPR.
The beach was closed on Christmas Day and there were no lifeguards on duty