Noa Sage,20,was climbing up the cliff at Blue Fish Point with friends when he fell approximately seven metres onto the rocks below,police said.
Officers from Northern Beaches Police Area Command,the Marine Area Command and surf lifesavers began searching for Sage after the incident was reported at about 5.30pm.
Nine News reported Sage had moved to Manly in September on an international student visa and had begun working as a bartender in the area.
The search resumed on Thursday,with assistance from the police’s aviation unit,but Sage was not found before efforts were suspended for the day.
NSW Police Superintendent Pat Sharkey said poor weather made the search more difficult.
“Over the last 24 hours the sea state has been quite high,particularly on coastal waters,so it has restricted the availability and operation of some of our assets,” he said. “However,we still continue to search.”
Sharkey said Sage’s friends,who told police he had been unconscious on the rocks before being swept out to sea,have been offered welfare and counselling services.
Blue Fish Point is part of Sydney Harbour National Park,but the group had ventured from marked paths. “It’s not an approved trail and there are signs in the national park saying keep to approved trails,” Sharkey said.
There are rock pools at Blue Fish Point,which is not easily accessible by foot,though people have been known to climb the cliff using chains left at the site.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has listed the Blue Fish Point bushland area as closed for public safety and to protect important plant and animal communities.
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