Search resumes for Sydney rock fisherman

A search has resumed for a rock fisherman who has been missing from a southern Sydney beach for more than 24 hours.

Police say the 29-year-old Guildford man was angling with a friend on a rock ledge at Malabar when he disappeared at about 9.30am on Saturday.

The friend, aged 31, had to be winched from the rock ledge by a rescue helicopter.

He told police he left the rocks for a few moments and when he returned his mate was gone.

A rescue boat retrieved some of the missing man's personal items and fishing gear from the water, Surf Life Saving NSW said on Saturday.

Police divers have joined local police, the police marine area command, police helicopters and Surf Life Saving members for the second day of the search.

Neither man was wearing a life jacket, despite new laws making the jackets mandatory for rock fisherman in Randwick municipality.