Search resumes for missing swimmer off Sandy Hook beach

The search has resumed for a swimmer who vanished off Sandy Hook.

The Monmouth County Sheriff's Department called the search a recovery effort in a post on their Facebook page on Thursday morning.

Sheriff's Marine 1, the Middletown Marine Unit and New Jersey State Police Marine Bureau are all part of the search.

Daphne Yun, spokeswoman for Gateway National Recreation Area, says the search for the 25-year-old man began at 8 p.m. Wednesday. He was last seen in distress in the water around 7:30 p.m.

There had been two groups of swimmers in the water, who Yun says were swimming without the supervision of a lifeguard. Guards are on duty from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The U.S. Coast Guard and the NYPD Aviation Unit were also dispatched to the scene along with rescue personnel from Middletown, Highlands, Atlantic Highlands and Seabright 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.