POLICE divers have found the body of an eight year old Noosaville boy missing since being struck by a speedboat at Tinana Creek, Maryborough.

The search resumed early this morning for the boy who had been missing since about 11am after being struck by a speedboat at around 11am on Sunday.

The body was recovered at about 9am this morning.

Maryborough District acting superintendent Daryl Powell said the boy, whose name has not been released, had been playing on a surfboard about 30 metres from the river bank when one of two boats travelling upstream hit him.

The boy was not wearing a lifejacket and disappeared from view. He was still missing last night and police feared the worst.

"It was an extremely tragic accident that's every parent's worst nightmare," Inspector Powell said. "How it happened will be a matter for investigation."

The boy was among several families camped at the top of a ridge on a Nerada Road property, near Alpha Plantation Road.

The incident happened between Teddington Weir and the Tinana barrage.

Maryborough teenagers Codey Lehr and Tyson Rowe, both 18 years of age, were among another group of water skiers further upstream who helped with the initial search.

"We were putting the boat in when we heard sirens and were told there was a kid in the water," Mr Lehr said.

"We were in the water diving for about two hours going down to the bottom. It was very cold."

A Maryborough man, who did not want to be named, said: "We tried, we really tried. We would have stayed all afternoon looking but the police asked us to leave out of respect for the family. I felt so helpless. There was nothing more we could do."

Police divers arrived from Brisbane about 6pm to scour the muddy waters in search of the boy's body. They continued well into the night before halting the search - restarting again this morning.