JUPITER, Florida (18 June 2005) -- The search for a scuba diver missing off Jupiter Florida has expanded from a 75-square-mile area to 1,200 square miles. The search for a retired police officer now involves three Coast Guard helicopters and planes. According to Sandra Bartlett of the Coast Guard, there are no plans to call off the search and it will continue "...as long as there is a probablity for survival." The missing scuba diver was diving with two friends off the 'Republic 4', a dive boat owned and operated by the PADI 5-star Jupiter Dive Center. At 'Hole in the Wall', the divers descended to a depth of about 40 meters (130 feet) on the first of three scheduled dives. About 20 minutes into the dive they started to ascend but the retired police officer never made it to the surface or the dive boat operator did not see him due to strong currents in the area. | | Republic 4 dive boat owned and operated by PADI 5-Star Jupiter Dive Center. At the time of the dive, the current was 2 to 3 knots at depth and 4 to 5 knots at the surface. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
