HONOLULU -- The U.S. Coast Guard said one of its helicopters spotted a body late Tuesday night in the same area on the North Shore of Oahu that a surfer was reported missing.

Fire crews resumed its search Wednesday morning, according fire officials.

The man was last seen just before 5 p.m. Tuesday. Search crews said the man is in his 30s. They said he rented a surfboard in Haleiwa and was surfing for the first time when he disappeared.

Search and rescue crews had less than two hours to scour the waters off Laniakea Beach Park before sunset. Ocean Safety and the Honolulu Fire Department's search team were forced to suspend their effort by 7:30 p.m. without finding the missing man.

"We can't keep our divers in at night and under these conditions. The visibility is nil. Our search light will only illuminate a small area," said Capt. Terry Seelig of the Honolulu Fire Department. "We really did an extensive search. We searched probably a half mile in each direction from the surf spot. We searched probably a half mile offshore. So that's a large area to cover in a short period of time," he said.

The Coast Guard continued its search after sunset.

Search crews struggled with rough ocean conditions and 15 to 20 mph winds with occasional 40 mph gusts.

The circumstances surrounding the man's disappearance are unclear. His family is receiving assistance from the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii.