The beautiful but treacherous coast near Cape Schanck has claimed the lives of two fisherman. Picture: Yanni

THE remains of what is thought to be the bodies of two men missing off the coast of Cape Schanck were found today.

The 42-year-old St Albans man and a 34-year-old Vermont South man were diving for shellfish off the rocks north of the cape at Fingal beach when they got into trouble about 8am on Saturday.

A third man, a 50-year-old from Keysborough, managed to get to shore and raise the alarm.

He reported that his two friends were unable to get out of the water and were clinging to a rock and getting smashed by waves.

Sorrento SES’s David Lammers reports that by the time the man got back to the rocks his friends had disappeared.

Acting Sergeant Barry Judge said the body parts were being sent to Coronial services for DNA identification. He was unsure which body parts had been recovered by police searching water near the scene on Tuesday morning.

The Water Police was assisted in the search by the police Air Wing, SES, Parks Victoria, Lifesaving Victoria, Ambulance Victoria and local marine volunteer groups.

Mr Lammers said the SES was not notified of the drama until two hours after the men got into trouble on Saturday.

Searchers worked until 2pm when high tides made the area “unsearchable”. They returned 8am Sunday but again were forced to call off the search at high tide.

They returned on Monday and Tuesday and searched 9am-noon and “recovered several pieces of evidence”.

Sergeant Judge said the search had been suspended pending the DNA tests.

“It’s a matter of waiting on the DNA,” he said.