Updated 6.30pm: A difficult for day for surf lifesavers in Mount Maunganui, who spent the better part of the past 20 hours out in force, searching for one of their own.

The body of 17-year-old Hamish Rieger was recovered near the Mount beach today, after he was swept off rocks on Moturiki or Leisure Island.

Mt Maunganui Lifeguard Service president Brent Warner said Hamish had been a member of their club since he was a "young nipper", joining when he was just five years old.

"It's been a rough 20 hours. The Rieger family are apart of us.

"We are very, very proud of the way that everyone pulled together and just turned up and they have done what they needed to do in a professional capacity."

The teen is the son of Greg Rieger, who has clocked up four decades with the club.

Hamish was with two of his friends when a massive wave hit them as they sat on rocks near a blowhole at about 7pm.

He was pulled out to sea, while the other two managed to stay on the rocks.

The area around Moturiki Island was covered by police, coastguard and surf lifesavers last night in choppy seas.