Search and rescue teams will be back on the quad bikes on Tuesday afternoon to try to find missing Ashburton whitebaiter Victor Edward Boraman.
Mr Boraman, 21, was whitebaiting with two friends in rough conditions at the mouth of the Rakaia River, about 60km southwest of Christchurch, on Sunday evening when he was swept to sea.
Crew from the Westpac rescue helicopter found Mr Boraman despite poor weather and heavy seas after he had been in the cold water for about an hour, but he was hit by a large wave and sucked under water as they tried to rescue him, before a rescue tube could be thrown.
Search coordinator Sergeant Ryan O'Rourke says Land Search and Rescue Landsar volunteers will search both sides of the river.
They will be using quad bikes to search along the beach at low tide from about 5:30pm, he said.
Sgt O'Rourke says low cloud and poor visibility will make searching difficult.
The matter is expected to be referred to the coroner.
NZN