Police divers have expressed their frustration at being within metres of the body believed to have been missing White Island tour guide Hayden Marshall-Inman, before dangerous swells thwarted their attempts to recover him.
The admission was made in a news conference on Wednesday afternoon where the police announced they would be scaling back their search to find Mr Marshall-Inman's body and that of 17-year-old Australian, Winona Langford, who are believed to have been swept out to sea.
Anusha Bradley is in Whakatāne, and filed this report.
