A British backpacker missing off a northern Sydney beach only arrived in Australia a week ago and had been keen to spend as much time as possible in the water. 
The 31-year-old's posts on social media are a collection of pictures that show his fondness for the beach - him laying on the sand at Freshwater, the Bondi Surf Life Saving Club, the water views of a mate's house.
And it seems the man was particularly taken by South Curl Curl beach, the site where he was last seen going for a swim on Saturday night. 
The last photograph he posted online was of life saving flags on the popular beach. Earlier, he had described the location to his friends as "worth the trip". 
He had spent Saturday fishing with a friend at South Curl Curl before he went for a solo swim about 7pm.
He has not been seen since, with the large scale search on foot, water and air continuing all day Sunday to no avail. 
South Curl Curl is notorious for having a sudden drop into deep water and a strong rip. 
Surf Life Saving NSW spokeswoman Donna Wishart described the beach as one of the more hazardous in Sydney and said the rip frequently caught people off guard.
"If they don't know the beach and the conditions, because it looks fairly benign you get in the water and it can take you into deep water fairly quickly," Ms Wishart said.
Ms Wishart said the conditions on Saturday evening were not particularly rough. The usual lifesaving patrol would have finished by the time the man entered the water, she said.
"It is a fairly hazardous beach. There has been a number of rescues conducted there and there has been several drownings. There's often rock fishing rescues too," Ms Wishart said.
Both South and North Curl Curl beaches were closed on Sunday as the search continued.
While the police dive unit was called into assist, police had not lost hope that he might be found alive.
"It may well be that he has gotten out of the water at some point," Northern Beaches Inspector Sue Preston said on Sunday morning. 
The man, who police have requested not be named while the search continues, is believed to be from Manchester in north west England, left for Sydney from the UK earlier this month.
During his week in Sydney he had visited Taronga Zoo, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Australian National Maritime Museum.