A senior Queensland police officer should have been more than capable of managing the calm surf conditions before he disappeared without his surfboard in northern NSW.
A large-scale search for Inspector Jay Notaro continued on Wednesday, a day after he failed to show up for work and a search was launched.
The keen surfer's car was quickly found at Broken Head in Byron Bay, with his surfboard on the shoreline 500 metres away.
"The condition of that surfboard was unremarkable - there was no damage and the leg rope was fully intact," NSW Police Detective Inspector Matt Zimmer told reporters near the scene on Wednesday.
"The inspector is a very strong swimmer who is a previous officer in charge of the Queensland water police ... and the conditions that presented over the past few days were quite calm," he said.
"He would be extremely capable of managing those conditions due to his experience, an extremely fit man as well."
The marine search was relying on police models of currents, while additional investigators were searching inland for the officer.
The search was expected to continue into Thursday if the 45-year-old had not been found.
The areas between Lennox Head and Cape Byron, particularly the Broken Head area, were focal points, police said.
Queensland police said they and the officer's family were worried for Insp Notaro's welfare as his disappearance was out of character.
"Anyone with information that may be able to assist with the whereabouts of the member is asked to contact police," a spokeswoman said.
"There is no further information available at this time."
Insp Notaro started with Queensland police in Townsville in 2003 before he rose through the ranks to oversee a number of homicide investigations in the Gold Coast from 2015 onwards.
In 2024, the Queensland Homicide Victims' Support Group presented its annual compassion in policing award to the officer for going beyond his duty for a victim's relative.
"Jay was always there for myself and my family statements, media interviews, phone calls, and texts," said nominee Sharni Mill, whose partner Greg Dufty was murdered in his Brisbane home in 2015.
"He made impossibly difficult tasks a little easier to handle."
Insp Notaro has also played a major role in the local water police command and marine rescue volunteers have noted he had a keen interest in surfing.
