The search will be relaunched 8am on Sunday, after a multi-agency operation began at 2pm on Saturday.

Emergency services raced to the scene in wild conditions after police received multiple calls about a "person being possibly attached to a parachute out to sea".

After hours of searching, no-one had been found and police had not received any reports of missing people in the area.

Polair, the Westpac lifesaver chopper and the Toll Ambulance Rescue Helicopter took to the skies on Saturday while lifesavers from three clubs on jet skis and in IRBs, Wollongong City Council, Marine Rescue and Marine Area Command.

Surf Life Saving NSW duty officer Anthony Turner told the Illawarra Mercury at 4.30pm on Saturday the police operation had been called off for the day.

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"After an extensive search, the operation has been scaled back."

Green dye was thrown in the water to help the search effort understand the prevailing currents in the conditions.

"There's a severe weather warning in place, a marine wind warning and a hazardous surf warning in place for the Illawarra plus there's quite gusty winds along this coastline at the moment," Mr Turner said.

"The wind chill is quite significant."

The wind warning remains in place for tomorrow.

Locally damaging winds averaging 60 to 70 km/h with peak gusts of around 100 km/h are possible about coastal parts of the Illawarra during Sunday morning.

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