The search for a diver missing off Gannet Island on the Raglan coast has resumed with a search helicopter going up first thing today, Monday 8th.
A Wellington based specialist police diving squad is searching for the 36-year-old diver. Believed to be an experienced diver, he went missing during a dive at a depth of 40 metres at around 2.30pm yesterday, believed to have been diving off the Kawhia-based boat Ventura.
Speaking from Raglan this morning Sargent Rob Pierce confirmed that three people left on board the boat had seen the man surface.
”But then he disappeared before they were able to reach him,” Sgt Pierce said.
Gannet Island, is a popular spot to dive for large crayfish and kingfish.
The man has been missing since Sunday at 3pm when a group of boaties lost sight of him. A large-scale air and sea search failed to find a diver on Sunday afternoon and evening. The helicopter and sea search on Monday failed to find by 7pm.
Raglan police said that rescuers would evalute information before making a decision on whether to resume the search on Tuesday.
Inspector Ian Brooker, of the police northern communications centre, said a boat put out a Mayday call to Coastguard New Zealand at 2.51pm to report a diver in trouble off Gannet Island, 18 kilometres off the Raglan coast. Raglan Police station is the base for the search and rescue operation.
Coastguard issued an alert to all nearby boats, while coastguard boats, a fixed-wing plane and the Westpac helicopter from Auckland searched for the man.