Search for Melbourne man missing off Victorian coast enters third day

The search is continuing for a 30-year-old Melbourne man who vanished off the coast of Victoria on Sunday afternoon.

Emergency services resumed the search for masters graduate Vinh Nguyen at first light this morning, after he went missing off a beach in Gellibrand Lower about 3pm on Sunday.

His friend, Long Do, also went missing in the seven-metre swell and was found dead on rocks on the remote beach shortly after authorities arrived to search for them.

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The pair were among group of five friends from Melbourne's west who were camping at Gellibrand Lower when they decided to go finishing for abalone.

The other three managed to get out of the water uninjured after the group found themselves struggling against the current.

Nguyen's girlfriend Ha Chu yesterday told 9News she wasn't giving up hope of her boyfriend being found.

"It's really important to find him," she said.

The pair had only moved to Melbourne from Vietnam four years ago.

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Authorities searched for Nguyen throughout the afternoon, pausing the search after dark because the conditions were too dangerous.

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