Rio de Janeiro: What was supposed to be on the trip of a lifetime for a pair of young Aussie backpackers has become a nightmare for the family of Rye Hunt, in the fortnight since he vanished in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Over the past two weeks, police have garnered few clues in their search for the 25-year-old Tasmanian man, who hasn't been heard from since May 21.

Rye Hunt has now been missing for two weeks. Photo: Supplied

The last reported sighting came from a fisherman, who told police he spoke to Mr Hunt on Ilha Cotunduba, an uninhabited island three kilometres from Copacabana Beach, on May 22, apparently having swum there.

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On Friday, police revealed that a body, wearing clothing similar to Mr Hunt's, had been sighted in the harbour two days earlier, although searchers had been unable to find it.

The focus of the police investigation centres on the triangle of water between Leme beach, at the end of Copacabana; Ilha Cotunduba; and Praia Vermelha, a quiet beach one suburb over, where tourists can rent kayaks to paddle around the island.

Rye Hunt's uncle Michael Wholohan and girlfriend Bonnie Cuthbert speaking with reporters in Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Laura McQuillan

"I wouldn't say he was a swimmer," Mr Hunt's girlfriend, Bonnie Cuthbert, told media in Rio de Janeiro, where she and Mr Hunt's uncle, Michael Wholohan, have joined the search.

But she added that her partner of five years was extremely physically fit, and went to the gym every day.

Locals say it would have been difficult to swim to the island and back against the extremely currents in that area of water; even in a kayak, it was a challenge.

Rye Hunt is missing in Brazil. Photo: Facebook

Mr Hunt's had been travelling with friend Mitchell Sheppard for just over a month when their round-the-world adventure took a turn for the worse.

Police believe the pair took the party drug MDMA in Rio de Janeiro's party suburb of Lapa on May 20. Bar owner Bruno Mouta said the men were extremely paranoid and thought other clubgoers were "trying to kill them".

The next day, the young Australians went to Rio de Janeiro's international airport, with plans to buy tickets for a flight to Bolivia that night, but they had an argument and Mr Hunt left in a taxi.

He booked a room in Copacabana for three days and went out just after 6pm. Friends and family haven't heard from him since.

Despite an increasingly grim outlook, Mr Hunt's loved ones aren't giving up.

"We're obviously very apprehensive, nervous but still very hopeful. At this point in time, we've had no confirmation of anything to say that anyone that has been sighted is Rye, or anyone has seen Rye, so at this stage still very, very hopeful and determined to find him," Ms Cuthbert said.

She, Mr Wholohan and Mr Sheppard plan to stay in Rio de Janeiro as long it takes to find out what happened to Mr Hunt.

"We're all of the same opinion," Mr Wholohan said. "Until it's proved otherwise, we'll continue to search."

A timeline of his disappearance:

• May 20/21: Rye Hunt and Mitchell Sheppard allegedly take MDMA and go out in Lapa
• May 21:
• About 3am: The pair went to the Raízes da Lapa bar
• 6am: They were escorted back to their hostel by bar owner Bruno Mouta and three security guards
• Mr Hunt messages Bonnie Cuthbert before going to the airport with Mr Sheppard
• About 2pm: The pair have an argument and decide to split up for thirty minutes
• 2.30pm: Mr Hunt leaves the airport in a taxi
• 3.30pm: Mr Hunt checks into Copacabana apartment
• 6.20pm: Mr Hunt leaves the apartment
• 6.22pm: Mr Hunt makes a purchase on his bank card
• May 22: Fisherman sees a man on Ilha Cotunduba that he believes to be Mr Hunt
• May 24: Mr Sheppard messages Mr Mouta to ask if he has seen Mr Hunt, who thought Mr Sheppard "was trying to kill him" at the airport
• May 28: Mr Hunt's family launch a Facebook page to search for him
• May 30: The fisherman contacts police; a first search of Ilha Cotunduba takes place
• May 31: A fresh search of Ilha Cotunduba takes place
• June 1: A fishing boat spots a body in the harbour in the morning and contacts the navy; a search begins; Ms Cuthbert and Mr Hunt's uncle Michael Wholohan arrive in Rio de Janeiro in the late evening
• June 2: The search for the body in the harbour continues
• June 3: The search continues as police make the revelation public; Ms Cuthbert and Mr Wholohan speak to media for the first time.