A French tourist stumbled upon a badly decomposed body on Pebbly Beach yesterday, three weeks after a man disappeared while trying to save a swimmer swept off rocks.

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Fifty-year-ol d Paul Quinlivan, from Alice Springs, went missing from the beach on October 10 after attempting to rescue a stranger. Extensive land and sea searches at the time failed to find any trace of Mr Quinlivan, who was hailed a hero for his unselfish actions.

However a tourist walking along Pebbly beach, north of Batemans Bay, at 7.30am yesterday morning made the gruesome find. It is believed the body was washed ashore in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The visitor alerted his three travelling partners, from France and Sydney, who also saw the body and called police.

One of the friends, from the French bay of Bassin D’ Arcachon, said the group had been camping at the beach for only one night.

Batemans Bay police arrived at the scene at 8am and searched the beach for any other remains.

Inspector Gary Megay was at the scene and said the body was badly decomposed.

“The body will be conveyed to the Glebe morgue for forensic testing to establish the identity of the remains,” he said.

“It is hoped that it may be identified as the remains of the 51-year-old man who went missing off the northern end of Pebbly Beach while attempting to rescue another man that was washed off the rocks.”

The search for Mr Quinlivan’s body was called off on October 13 after emergency crews spent three days searching by air, land and sea.

Mr Quinlivan was sketching a seascape with his youngest daughter when the tragic event occurred. He dived into the water to save 22-year-old Stefan Leonte, of Ashfield, who was swept off the northern rock shelf.

The youth later made it back to the beach but Mr Quinlivan could not be found.

The family of the missing man watched as Batemans Bay police, NSW Ambulance, the Volunteer Coastal Patrol and the SES carried out the search.