The toll might be physically and emotionally exhausting, but searches for five-year-old Jack Dixon will continue this week as the community remains hopeful the missing youngster can be found.

Starting today, surf lifesavers are beginning sea and land sweeps along the beach each morning and afternoon after an extensive five days following last week's tragedy.

Surf lifesavers searching the waters around Shelly Beach on Wednesday. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

Jack disappeared around 11.50am on Wednesday when a large wave swept him and two girls, sisters aged 12 and 14, out to sea as they played on Shelly Beach in Mount Maunganui.

Since then numerous searches have been launched, from lifesavers, police and Land Search and Rescue as well as the community.

The community has also rallied behind the family and searchers, with a constant stream of food and support via candle light vigils and a paddle-out.

SLNZ Eastern Region lifesaving and education manager club development officer Leigh Sefton says the Mount Maunganui, Omanu and Papamoa clubs are incorporating twice-daily sweeps of the beach into their into their training regimes ahead of the summer patrol season.

Clubs are undertaking first light patrols along the sand and also along Matakana Island in either an IRB or jetski in the hope of Jack returning.

'That's all we can really do at this point,” says Leigh. 'It's the most practical solution.

'We've reached a point where we have sat down with police, assessed things and said ‘look, the sea will return Jack when it's ready'.

'We have many eyes on the water and heaps of members of the public keeping an eye out.”

Leigh says the last five days have been physically and emotionally exhausting, but the SLNZ community is tight-knit and have support on hand for everyone.

'It's been a pretty full on five days,” he added.

Wednesday was a busy day on the water for lifesavers, with a number of struggling swimmers being pulled from the water before and after Jack's disappearance.

At about 11am a person was seen caught in a rip, but managed to paddle out of it after a short while, and later that afternoon a surfer had to be rescued by lifesavers.

Leigh says despite being three weeks out until the start of the summer patrol season on Labour Weekend, there is no concern of the clubs being put under pressure ahead of schedule.

'We have massive resources here as far as numbers of lifeguards wanting to step up [to help]. We had to send some people away because we were mindful of using the more experienced lifeguards.

'It's a sharpening up for us ahead of the season.”

Western Bay of Plenty police acting area commander Inspector Karl Wright-St Clair says police will keep searching for Jack this week, starting with the police national dive squad returning to the water tomorrow – weather dependant.

The squad is currently travelling from Wellington after their first attempt was hampered by sea conditions and visibility on Friday.

Police are also organising a full-scale land search of the Matakana Island foreshore tomorrow.

'It will probably take them most of the day,” says Karl. 'We have 12 Land Search and Rescue members with three 4WD vehicles going over by barge.”

Karl says six days on from Jack's disappearance the family are beginning to get to grips with the enormity of the situation and believes yesterday's paddle-out helped them move on to the next phase, which is the recovery of Jack.

'They are certainly in a better space than they were initially, and I think it's due to the large amount of community support they have had.

'They can see that there are so many people behind them and supporting them.”

The Givealittle page set up for donations 'to assist the family with the costs associated with the search and for the many tough days ahead of them” has had overwhelming support.

The account had raised over $36,400 by 11.30am today.

The family has given the gesture their blessing and say they intend to recognise the support they are receiving by making their own donation from any money raised.