POLICE searching for a 15-year-old boy missing off the NSW Central Coast say a body has been found at a beach.

A man walking near The Entrance Surf Club spotted the body of a young male, believed to be in his teens, in the water directly in front of the club on Tuesday evening, police said.

The body is expected to be formally identified later on Wednesday, they said.

The discovery of the body follows a search for Keon Sbrugnea, who was swimming with friends at The Entrance beach on Sunday afternoon when he was caught in a rip.

His three friends managed to swim back to shore, but Keon could not be found.

A search of the area, involving police and ambulance officers as well as local surf lifesavers failed to locate the boy.

Tributes have been paid to the popular teenager on Facebook.

"A young life taken to (sic) soon," one person wrote.

Keon's grandmother Joan told the Newcastle Herald that the teenager's family, including his twin brother Callan, were devastated.

"The family is really not holding up well at all," she told the newspaper.

"It's just terrible. Callan is just heartbroken. The whole family is."


Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/body-found-at-the-entrance-beach-where-wattanobbi-boy-keon-sbrugnea-went-missing/story-e6frfkvr-1226265294743#ixzz1ljPWPUSa