The body was found at 8am on Saturday 450 metres east of the beach

The body of a man was found in the water near Bondi Beach in Sydney on Saturday.

The grisly discovery was made just after 8am about 450 metres east of the world famous beach.

A police vessel from the Marine Area Command recovered the body and sent it to be forensically identified.

It is not clear if the body is that of Endicott Ackerman, 20, who was last seen plunging massive surf at Bondi Beach after huge storms battered Sydney.