A Chinese international student who drowned while testing out a new diving mask at a Sydney beach has been remembered as a ‘little ray of sunshine’ by loved ones.

Fangqi Peng, 30, moved to Australia from Harbin in northeastern China more than two years ago for university, while working part-time in construction.

‘All of his friends who know him have been feeling really bad these past few days,’ Mr Peng’s friend, who only wanted to be referred to by his surname Lee

‘It’s hard for everyone to accept this, because it all happened so suddenly.’

Lee joined Mr Peng, another man and a woman to collect seafood at Maroubra Beach, south of Coogee, when tragedy struck at about 3pm on Sunday.

While Lee and the two unnamed friends searched for sea snails along the shore, he said Mr Peng jumped in the water to test a recently-purchased diving mask.

Lee said his friend told the group he would be ‘right back’.

‘The distance between us was really far, and the rocks blocked our view, so we couldn’t see him at all,’ Lee said.

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Chinese international student Fangqi Peng (pictured) drowned at Maroubra Beach on Sunday

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He left his friends collecting sea snails while he went to test out a new diving mask in the water

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Mr Fangqi never returned to the shore and is now being remembered as a ‘ray of sunshine’

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After a multi-agency search, NSW Police confirmed a body had been found on Tuesday

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When the friends decided to go home, they discovered Mr Peng had not returned.

The alarm was then raised by lifesavers at about 4pm who had also noticed the international student enter the water but fail to return to shore.

The beach was evacuated as a precaution on Sunday and multiple helicopters and jet skis were brought in to assist the multi-agency search.

NSW Police confirmed a body had been found about 12.20pm on Tuesday.

‘While a formal identification process is yet to be completed, the body is believed to be that of the missing swimmer,’ police said in a statement.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

Lee paid tribute to his friend, describing him as ‘kind-hearted, easygoing, and a genuinely good person’.

‘He was like a little ray of sunshine, always smiling at everyone he met,’ he said.