A man's body was recovered from Deborah Bay yesterday morning following the discovery of his partly submerged dinghy.
Senior Sergeant Craig Brown said it appeared the man had tried to row from the Deborah Bay jetty to his moored yacht early on Sunday when he might have got into difficulties.
The distance from the jetty to the yacht is less than 5m.
Police were called to the scene following the discovery of the submerged dinghy at 11.30am.
Marine Search and Rescue was alerted, and the man's body was found in the water at Deborah Bay a short time later.
His body was retrieved by emergency services staff, including members of the Port Chalmers Fire Brigade.
Snr Sgt Brown said the name of the Careys Bay man would not be released until next-of-kin overseas had been notified.
There were no suspicious circumstances, and the matter had been referred to the coroner, he said.
