The Police Dive Squad will continue scouring the sea and coastline for Aucklander Peato Samele Ilalio, presumed drowned after he went missing while fishing from Kauri Point.

Efforts to find the 40-year-old enters its third day after Peato went missing after jumping off the Kauri Point Wharf near Katikati on Thursday.Searchers in Tauranga Harbour on a surf lifesaving IRB.

Police divers with assistance from the Royal New Zealand Navy's Mines Counter Measures team from the Devonport Naval Base will continue the search this afternoon.

Tauranga Police Senior Sergeant Eddie Lyttle says previous searches by police, the coastguard, a rescue helicopter, Waihi Beach Coast Guard personnel and members of the public in their boats had failed to find him.

'Once they have done today they will regroup and see where to go from there,” says Eddie.

Peato went missing after jumping off the wharf to retrieve a fishing rod after he thought he had a stingray on his line.

After being towed into deeper water, Peato has gotten into difficulty and disappeared about 200 metres from the wharf, according to police.

Tauranga Police would like to thank those organisations and individuals who have provided their assistance over the past couple of days in searching for Peato.

Peato's family will continue to be supported by police at this difficult time and kept informed of any development in the search.

This is the third water-related fatality in the Bay of Plenty is region in the past three days.

Palmerston North woman Catherine Michell Hinz died after being found lying at the bottom of a Tauranga motel pool on New Year's eve.

Tauranga lawyer and former policeman Blair Kiddle, 42, died during a diving trip near Motiti Island on New Year's Day.

As a result of the drowning's a water safety advocate says the holiday period is the peak season for hitting the water but New Zealanders need to take responsibility for their safety.

Five men - the same number as last summer - drowned over the Christmas-New Year period, which ended at 6am on Friday.

Four of the men drowned while fishing or gathering seafood.

Water Safety New Zealand chief executive Matt Claridge says that with a number of close calls and rescues involving males around the country, the number of drownings could have easily been higher.

Matt says NZ has one of the largest coastlines in the world and while drowning figures spike over the period, many of the tragedies are preventable.

"We need to remind each other when we're heading out boating or fishing off rocks - wear a lifejacket, watch the weather, don't drink alcohol and let others know where you're going," says Matt.