They will continue to search the ocean around rugged cliffs around Childers Cove, near Allansford, this morning.

The 39-year-old international-class competitor disappeared on Monday afternoon after setting off on a 20-kilometre training paddle from Murnanes Bay to Peterborough.

Despite an extensive air-and-ground search since 5pm on Monday he still remains unaccounted for.

Ocean conditions for the past two days have been described as ``fairly treacherous''.

Dangerous surf conditions prevented boats being launched to join the search yesterday.

Mr Scheen's competition surf ski was found smashed against a rocky inlet just east of his launch site on Monday, along with a life vest.

Yesterday his hat was found about 150 metres offshore from the inlet and his mobile telephone on the Murnanes Bay beach.

SES controller Gerry Billings said members had searched the cliff faces and inland 500 metres from shore covering 1.5 kilometres east of the bay.

They did a low-tide sweep of the coastline early yesterday.

They were also searching the shoreline and cliffs precinct a further 2.5km west of the bay.

``These are fairly treacherous conditions and (Monday) night it was even rougher,'' Mr Billings said.

Search co-ordinator, Senior Sergeant Paul Hargreaves of Warrnambool police, told The Standard: ``We hold hope he has made his way to a safety point''.

Yesterday there was an easterly current with waves of one to two metres, a swell of four to five metres and severe turbulence around inlets.

"Conditions were not conducive to a water search and it was very hard to get in close to the rocky shore," Senior Sergeant Hargreaves said.

"We are relying on the airwing and ground searches to check rock crevices and smaller caves."

Mr Scheen was last seen by tourists as he headed into the ocean about 12.30pm Monday.

The Melbourne district pair, who had been admiring the scenery on their way to Darwin, contacted police yesterday after a plea for information.