Authorities search for five-year-old boy swept out to sea during family holiday

Chayce Kofe went missing during a trip to the beach with his family after he fell into trouble whilst paddling in the sea in Australia.

Chayce had been playing on the beach with his brother, sister and young cousins when the wave swept onto the bay and carried him out into the water.

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The five-year-old is not thought to be a strong swimmer and the group frantically called the emergency services.

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Speaking to a UK newspaper, Central Coast Surf Life Saving duty officer Stuart Harvey said that the conditions in the sea would have made it hard “for anyone to get in from there, let alone a small child”.

The search, now in its third day, has tragically now become a recovery operation, say police.

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One rescuer told a reporter: “We're just clutching at straws now. It's very hard to see anything in that water.”

Chayce’s stepsister revealed that the trip to the beach was a regular outing for the family.

“This is something we do all the time,” she said. “He was a little monkey ... he loved his scooter.”