TRIBUTES have been paid to a kayaker after his body was discovered in the sea in Jaywick following a desperate search and rescue operation.

An alarm was raised on Sunday evening after a man in his early twenties was spotted struggling in the water.

His kayak washed up near Lion Point, but there was no sign of the man.

It sparked a search operation which lasted for several hours.

Lifeboat crews launched from Clacton at 5.30pm, while the coastguard helicopter circled overhead.

A body was recovered by the beach at about 10pm.

It is believed the kayaker was trying to paddle against the tide and capsized, plunging below the surface as he tried to swim to shore.

David Wells, lifeboat operations manager, said: “The boys had just returned from another job and were already at the boathouse, so they were on scene very quickly.

“The man’s family had seen where he went down, so we worked from that spot, but we were just too late.

“The other boat was called in and we extended the search, but it wasn’t until much later the body was found by coastguards checking the shallow water by the beach.

“We think the body may have become caught in the rocks, which stopped the man being discovered sooner. When the tide ebbed, he was found.

“Unfortunately there was a life jacket in the kayak, but the man wasn’t wearing one when he went out.

“It is a tragic result and one we hate to see. Our thoughts are with the man’s family.”

The kayaker is believed to have come from  Jaywick.

Resident Danny Sloggett plans to launch a campaign for better beach safety and tidal danger warnings.

He said: “We’ve got to shine a light on this and make sure everyone is as aware as they can be, because it can be deadly.”