Police have named the man who went missing overboard from a Southland ferry during a Foveaux Strait crossing last night.
He was Nicholas John Duncan, 44, who was from the Nelson area, Sergeant Greg Baird of Invercargill police said.
Mr Duncan was last seen when the ferry stopped halfway across the strait on the trip from Bluff to Halfmoon Bay on Stewart Island so those on board could watch dolphins.
A search of the water by ferry crew, two helicopters, local fishing vessels and Coastguard boats, as well as nearby coastlines, last night and again this morning failed to find him.
Police said a note was found in his belongings and they were not looking for anyone else in connection with his disappearance.
The chances of finding the man alive after a night in the freezing waters were slim, police said
