A teenager on a Schoolies break has disappeared after being caught in a rip on the NSW Mid North Coast.

The 18-year-old was swimming off Little Bay Beach in Arakoon when he began struggling in the water about 4.30pm on Sunday.

The young man had just finished Year 12 at The King’s School in Sydney and was on a one-week end-of-school trip to the popular South West Rocks, about an hour north of Port Macquarie, with friends.

“Witnesses and a number of bystanders attempted to try and get to the young boy, but unfortunately he was dragged further out to sea,” Inspector Mick Aldridge said.

Aldridge confirmed alcohol was not a factor.

The teen’s mother rushed to the scene, joined by the families of his friends, as they waited anxiously for updates.

The search was suspended on Monday evening and will resume at 8am on Tuesday, NSW Police said.

Little Bay Beach is not patrolled by surf lifesavers and is not recommended for swimming, according to NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Surf Life Saving Mid North Coast president Rod McDonagh said the conditions made the rescue effort difficult.

“Obviously it’s pretty difficult to get in close to the coastline here. It’s fairly rocky outcrops and some cliff faces, so it’s pretty difficult,” he said.

The disappearance comes amid a string of recent tragedies on NSW beaches.

Less than an hour’s drive away, a 59-year-old man drowned at Crescent Head on Saturday after being caught in a rip.

On Thursday, Swiss woman Livia Mulheim, 25, was fatally mauled by a shark while swimming at Crowdy Bay National Park — about two hours south of Little Bay Beach.

Last Monday, 18-year-old Riahne Vasquez drowned at Soldier’s Beach on the Central Coast after a sandbar gave way beneath him.

Police are urging beachgoers to take extra care.

“Swim at patrolled beaches. Unless you know the area, don’t go in the water,” Aldridge said.

Originally published on 7NEWS