Search for Vic kitesurfer called off

A search for a kitesurfer in Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay has been abandoned after police concluded the apparently missing person had swum ashore.

The kitesurfer was feared missing after a witness claimed to have seen someone go under water, and Kitesurfing equipment was found off Brighton, 11km southeast of Melbourne, shortly after 11am on Tuesday.

Police say a thorough search was unsuccessful in finding the kitesurfer, who is now suspected of swimming ashore and leaving the equipment behind.