Fin found in search for diver
The search for a missing diver in the Marlborough Sounds has entered its fourth day, but the operation becomes more recovery than rescue as time goes on, police say.
The 49-year-old man was reported overdue about 10.20am on Saturday after he failed to resurface from a dive north of Stephens Island.
Emergency services and Marlborough fishermen assisted in the search, with one boat finding a fin in the water.
The National Dive Squad were on site on Monday to continue the search.
A police spokesman said on Tuesday morning the search had resumed.
The search area had been extended but the team had not found anything.
Marlborough area commander Inspector Simon Feltham said the recreational diver had been diving with a partner.
The search team was diving as much as possible but the conditions of the area made it difficult, Feltham said.
‘‘It’s a challenging area in terms of tidal flow, so you can’t dive all hours of the day given the conditions,’’ he said.
‘‘You can get into deep water quite quickly.
‘‘As time goes on it becomes more recovery than rescue.’’
Feltham said he did not have any information on the man’s name or where he was from.
The search for the diver began on Saturday and was suspended over Saturday night.
Police went down twice on Sunday during the day.
The Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter patrolled the area twice on Saturday.
Duty pilot Barry McAuliffe said about 12 boats were on the water to assist in the search on Saturday and one found a fin.
It could not be confirmed if it belonged to the diver but the search had been a worry from the beginning, McAuliffe said.
‘‘The surface was quite calm and, really, within the first few minutes of searching and with nothing found it became concern- ing,’’ he said.
‘‘This has been concerning from the get-go.’’
The helicopter searched four nautical miles to the east but did not find anything.
The men were diving at a rock 50 metres north of Stephens Island from a converted ex-Navy boat, McAuliffe said.
Department of Conservation staff and the police launch from Wellington assisted in a shoreline search of Stephens Island.
Marlborough Harbourmaster Luke Grogan said diving was an inherently dangerous sport.
‘‘Diving is obviously a recreational sport that has its challenges and there are always risks with that pastime,’’ he said.
‘‘We hope that this works out as best it can.’’
Coastguard Nelson duty officer Geoff Morgan said the service had assisted in the search on Saturday by searching along the shore of Stephens Island.
St John and Marlborough Coastguard also assisted police in their efforts to find the diver on Saturday. A New Zealand Underwater Association spokesperson said their thoughts were with all involved and hoped for a positive outcome.