The police dive squad has arrived at Tolaga Bay, near Gisborne to help search for a missing Malaysian man.

The 38-year-old tourist was part of a group which visited the East Coast beach yesterday afternoon.

He got into difficulty in the water around 2.30pm and was swept out to sea.

Another member of the group tried to rescue him, but lost his grip.

The dive squad, search and rescue teams, the Coastguard and local boaties are conducting searches.