A teenager who was found dead after becoming separated from his friend on a camping trip has been remembered as a respectful, intelligent boy with dreams of joining the defence forces and becoming a pilot.

Andre Marquez, 16, was discovered in a creek in the Blue Gum Forest in the Blue Mountains last Thursday afternoon.

The teenager from Ropes Crossing, in Sydney’s western suburbs, had set off on three-day camping and hiking trip with his friend on Tuesday, January 27.

However, the pair became separated the following day.

The two boys had been extremely well-prepared for the trip which they had planned since the start of the school holidays, Andre’s father Raphael Marquez told 7NEWS.com.au.

Andre had learned a range of outdoor skills over five years involved in the Air Force Cadets program, he said.

“Andre was pretty experienced in camping and stuff for a young age because of all the … experience from the Air Force Cadets,” Raphael said.

“He got plenty of (experience) hiking, camping, first aid, being prepared, orienteering, reading a compass.

“He was trained very well, for example if he got lost he would look for a body of water.

“I think maybe that’s what he was trying to do because they did find him in the creek.”

Just four weeks ago Andre had gone on another hiking trip in Wentworth Falls with two other friends.

On the latest trip, Andre and his mate, aged 17, travelled by train from Emu Plains in Sydney’s west to Leura on Tuesday before walking to Mt Hay where they set up camp.

The teenager was armed with four days’ worth of supplies, according to his father, as well as a map. His friend also had a personal locator beacon.

Andre kept up communication with his family during this first day, sending them photos of his beautiful surroundings.

“He loved it,” Raphael said.

“He said ‘Its so beautiful here’. He took some photos and he said ‘Oh, I’ve got a story to tell’.

“He was happy, there was no indication he was sick or something’s gone wrong (or he was in) distress, no.”

On Wednesday Andre messaged his family again about 9am. During this time Raphael had been tracking his son on the Life360 app.

But soon after it appeared Andre lost signal and his icon on the location tracker app stopped moving.

By Wednesday afternoon, the friends were close to the Acacia Flat campgrounds but at some point became separated.

The other teenager triggered his emergency beacon about 5.45pm and it was then Raphael was notified his son was missing.

“My reaction was, of course, I was concerned but I wasn’t panicking because I know these guys … were well trained,” he said.

“Despite being young I know they have good training and they will know what to do, especially Andre.”

The other teenager was winched to safety from the Acacia Flats camping ground while the search for Andre continued.

With Andre now alone in the bush, Raphael was becoming increasingly concerned.

“I wanted to go out there myself and search but that would have been a really bad idea in that terrain at night — I would end up being the one in trouble,” he said.

The family continued to get updates from police on Thursday, including about a shoe print authorities discovered in the mud. However, it was found not to belong to Andre.

The updates stopped about 1pm and police soon arrived at Raphael’s door in person.

“One of the police … paid a visit to my home, because I just got home, and she was in the full dress uniform and I already knew that was bad news,” he said.

“She said ‘We found Andre, unfortunately he was deceased, he was found face-down in the water’.

“I was shocked and I was also angry and confused, (I had) lots of questions.

“My wife, she was hysterical.”

It is still unclear why the two friends separated.

It had previously been reported they had run out of water, however, Raphael said police told him the boys had plenty of water because they were rationing it.

A natural born leader with a bright future

Andre has been remembered by his father as a much-loved, respectful boy who was extremely mature for his age.

He was fun loving and was gearing up for a big year — his final year of school at St Marys Senior High School.

Raphael said Andre had planned everything he needed to do to ensure he would excel in his studies.

“He already planned for everything, all the assessments, preparations, projects for Year 12,” he said.

After school Andre was going to apply for the Australian Defence Force and wanted to become a pilot.

His backup options included an aeronautical engineer, an aircraft technician or a Catholic priest.

The teenager was devoted to his religion and applied its teachings to his daily life, his father said.

“He reads the Holy Bible every day. He has a prayer book by his bedside,” Raphael said.

When his friends came to him in times of need, Andre would lend a listening ear and always try to help.

He was a “very good kid” who was described as “true leader” by his fellow cadets, Raphael said.

“He did his house chores without being asked to. He would throw the rubbish out, put out the laundry, do the folding, he would organise the groceries,” he said

“He loved his mum, you know, (he was a) mama’s boy.”

Andre was also a black belt in karate.

A GoFundMe has been set up for the teenager’s family, which also includes his older sister, as they prepare for his funeral.

Andre’s cause of death is unknown and his body remains with the coroner. It could take months for the family to get answers about what happened.

“We love him and miss him very much,” Raphael said.