Lifesavers gather to search for junior competitor Matthew Barclay, who went missing yesterday. Credit:Natalie McComas His body was recovered about 9.30am today 1.5 kilometres north of where he had been competing at Kurrawa beach, bringing a tragic end to an extensive air and sea search that saw up to 200 lifesavers frantically take to the water in a bid to find the teen yesterday. Heartbreaking scenes unfolded on the beach soon after Matthew's body was found, as hundreds of competitors converged on the sand to comfort one another. Matthew's young teammates from the Maroochydore club sat in the sand sobbing, with their arms wrapped tightly around each other. His parents, Donna and Steve, sat in the distance doing the same.

Lifesavers search off Kurrawa for teenager Matthew Barclay. Credit:Natalie McComas Police will prepare a report for the Coroner. Queensland Premier Campbell Newman flagged today the possible need for an inquiry beyond a coronial inquest into the death, while Surf Life Saving Australia announced officials would review the use of Kurrawa beach for the annual event. Matt Barclay went missing yesterday missing off Kurrawa Beach on the Gold Coast while competing in the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships. Credit:Sunshine Coast Daily Meanwhile, a senior lawyer involved in a coronial inquest into a previous death at the same beach two years ago called for a royal commission on the event, accusing Surf Life Saving Australia of failing to heed critical safety recommendations made by the Coroner.

Matthew's death is third to have occurred during the national championships at Kurrawa in 16 years, after 15-year-old Robert Gatenby died in 1996 and 19-year-old Ironman Saxon Bird drowned in treacherous conditions in 2010. Young ironman Saxon Bird who died in the surf at the Australian Life Saving Championships at Kurrawa Beach in 2010. Review of Kurrawa beach Competition has been suspended today but will resume tomorrow, with organisers deciding to relocated to a ‘‘contingency site’’ at North Kirra beach. The search at Kurrawa Beach for Matt Barclay yesterday. Credit:Channel 7

Surf Life Saving Australia chief executive Brett Williamson said no firm decision had been made about the future of championship events at Kurrawa, but acknowledged the need for a review of its use. "Obviously that's an issue that we're going to have to look at," Mr Williamson said, when asked if the organisation had finally realised, after three deaths, that the beach was not safe. A helicopter searches the waters of Kurrawa Beach yesterday afternoon. Credit:Channel 7 "We'll look at that issue, or that aspect, in the fullness of all the information. We need to make sure we have all the facts on the table." But he said next year's national championships were currently scheduled to take place at Kurrawa.

Maroochydore Surf Life Saving club members embrace. Credit:Sunshine Coast Daily What went wrong? It is not known what caused the young lifesaver to come off his board in the surf yesterday, although one witness has told media, Matthew's board collided with another. People gather on Kurrawa Beach. Credit:Sunshine Coast Daily A fellow competitor, who did not want to be named, said Matthew's board washed up on shore and had a dent where they believed it hit his head.

She said senior competitors had warned officials that yesterday morning's conditions were too rough for competition. But Ralph Devlin, a life member of the Maroochydore surf club and friend of the Barclay family, said Matthew's death did not necessarily point to deficiencies in safety arrangements at the Kurrawa carnival. "It could be ... a simple mishap with the ride and his craft. It could be that another craft was involved," he said. "What I can tell you is that the water safety craft was following the field right out there ... so the lifesaving services were as close as they could ever be to the competition. "The statistics show this is an extraordinary run of bad fortune."

Mr Williamson said yesterday's surf conditions were nothing like those seen when Bird died in 2010. Inflatable surf rescue boats, jet skis, and the Westpac rescue helicopter, were used in the extensive search for Matthew. Overnight, the Gold Coast police helicopter, which has night vision and infra red search capabilities scoured the water. Police divers were called in this morning, once it became apparent the teenager had not survived. "A national disgrace"

The decision to stage the championships at Kurrawa beach has been condemned as a "national disgrace" and a "scandal of monumental proportions". Chris Branson, QC, who represented Saxon Bird's family at a coronial inquest last year into his death, called this morning for a royal commission and claimed organisers risked the safety of competition for commercial reasons. "Commercial reasons dictate why [the event] is here," he said. "There's about $15 million worth of sponsorship for these championships ... and unfortunately there's a bureaucracy of people that run this carnival now, who essentially are no competitors at an elite level." Mr Williamson dismissed the claims as "insulting", saying the Coroner had found no evidence to suggest organisers were influenced by the financial considerations when the court held an inquest into Bird's death.

Surf Life Saving Australia defends safety measures He also defended the surf lifesaving movement's steps to improve safety, saying the only finding from the Bird inquest that had not been implemented was for the organisation to select a suitable floatation vest for competitors. "One of the recommendations from the coronial inquiry last year was for Surf Life Saving to continue to work with designers of safety vest floatation devices," Mr Williamson said. "That has been going and [is] underway and it's just too early to stipulate a particular brand or type." He said it was compulsory for competitors to wear high visibility vests, as recommended by the Coroner, but helmets were only optional at the present time.

Mr Williamson said a range of cultural and practical issues would have to be addressed before both floatation vests and helmets were made compulsory. Mourning a "beautiful, young boy" Matthew's classmates at Siena Catholic College on the Sunshine Coast were distraught and sobbing uncontrollably this morning as news of his death broke during a special prayer assembly. Grief counselling has been offered to students at the school, where Matthew was in year 10. A memorial service will be held this afternoon for Matthew on the beach opposite the Maroochydore surf club.

Mr Devlin said Matthew's parents, who gathered with close friends and relatives at Kurrawa beach this morning, were taking some comfort from the fact their son died doing what he loved. "All they wanted was to recover Matty and that has been done," he said. "The comfort we take is that now Matty Barclay is frozen in time as a 14-year-old beautiful boy. Loading "He was a beautiful, innocent boy and our community grieves greatly ... all lifesavers in Australia grieve for this young bloke."

- with AAP