Search continues for missing Qld fisherman

Police searching for a fisherman off the Gold Coast have expanded their hunt and say they still have hope he is alive.

Gavin Studwell, 39, has being missing at sea without a life jacket since Tuesday night.

Mr Studwell and work colleague Kandice Tommy, 29, were tossed into the ocean when two freak waves flipped his home-made boat about 2km off Surfers Paradise late on Tuesday night.

The boat sank before they could salvage life jackets, and after managing to stay together for about two hours they eventually became separated.

Ms Tommy made it to land after swimming for at least three hours, using a light on a Surfers Paradise high-rise building as a guide until it was turned off around midnight.

An extensive air, sea and land search for Mr Studwell has been fruitless so far but water police boss Senior Sergeant Lucas Young says he hasn’t given up hope.

“We’ve expanded the search. We’ve got three choppers up at the moment, five boats are out, and the SES are on South Stradbroke Island,” he told AAP.

The search will resume at first light on Friday.

“Hopefully if conditions ease with the size of the waves and the swell, we might be able to get jet skis into the foreshore areas as well.”

Sen Sgt Young said his concern increased the longer the search continued, though water temperatures and other factors were good.

“Of course as time goes on we start to get concerned for his survivability,” he said.

Sen Sgt Young has asked residents in high-rise apartments on the coast to report anything unusual in the water, even if it turns out to be a false alarm.

“One lady (rang) yesterday, and it was a shark net float, but we don’t care. We’ll go and check everything out.”

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