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It took five agonising days to find the body of 19-year-old Hiran Joseph after he went missing at an Auckland beach.��

Now the grieving family are not only seeking support for themselves but also want to ensure no family has to endure such a devastating loss.��

Hiran Joseph went missing on January 2��on Karioitahi Beach in Auckland.��

He was swimming with his older brother and a close friend when the waters turned “treacherous”, the family’s��givealittle page says.��

“Struggling against a fierce current, Hiran found himself trapped, pulled by the relentless force of the ocean.”��

His brother and friend made it back to shore, but Joseph was missing.��

On January 7, search and rescue crews looking for the��missing swimmer��found his body at Hamiltons Gap north of Waiuku, some 20km away from where he disappeared.��

Land Search and Rescue and Surf Lifesaving New Zealand had scoured the area on Auckland’s southwest coast for five days straight before he was found.��

“For his family, especially his devastated brother who witnessed the harrowing event, those days were an eternity of fear and despair.”��

Westpac Rescue Helicopter and other emergency services on Karioitahi Beach searching for the missing swimmer on January 2. Photo / James Wheeler��

• Police name swimmer missing at Karioitahi Beach

The loss of Joseph leaves the family with an unfillable void, the page says.��

SLNZ Helpline founder Krishan Gallage has been supporting the family.��

“He’s a lovely boy and was just starting his life.��

“They were a really happy family... they’ve been here for about 15 years,” Gallage said.��

SLNZ is a free phone helpline that offers help and support to Sri Lankans living in New Zealand, which Gallage runs voluntarily.��

Gallage and other members of the New Zealand Sri Lankan community searched every corner of the beach alongside Joseph’s father.��

“[Joseph’s father] hugged me and started crying and he said, ‘I just want some news, it can be good news or bad news’.”��

Gallage said the local fisherman told the families to search Hamiltons Gap for the boy, where he was eventually found by search and rescue teams.��

Gallage thanked all of the police, rescue services, victim support and the Sri Lankan community for supporting the family.��

“He had a great future ahead of him.”��

The death had been incredibly difficult for the family, especially for the brother who was in the water when it happened.��

“He was the one who saw him drowning.”��

Gallage said when the boys went swimming lifeguards had packed up and left the beach around half an hour earlier.��

“It’s really important for people to think twice if not thrice, before they take part in any activity.��

“Those preventable incidents should be prevented.”��

has been set up to support the family with funeral expenses, and it also aims to donate some funds raised to Surf Lifesaving NZ.��

“Together, we can honour Hiran’s memory by advocating for safer shores and ensuring no family has to endure such a devastating loss.”��