High Seas Thwart Search for Diver
Rough seas with 10-foot swells prevented rescue divers from searching the waters off the coast of Anacapa Island on Tuesday for an 48-year-old Irvine man who disappeared while scuba diving Sunday.
Depending on weather conditions, authorities hope to resume the search today but said there was little chance that Joo Hwan Hong would be found alive.
“It’s become a recovery effort,” said County Sheriff’s Sgt. Earl Matthews.
The Coast Guard conducted a search by air for about three hours Tuesday morning but found no evidence of the missing diver.
Hong was one of 22 divers from a Los Angeles club aboard the Explorer, a chartered boat that left Ventura Harbor about 7 a.m. Sunday.
Described as an experienced diver who liked to dive alone, Hong failed to resurface after a dive near a coral reef on the south side of the island near its west end.
Witnesses said the boat was anchored less than 100 yards offshore, where the water depth is about 45 feet, Matthews said. At the time, the water was calm, according to a diver aboard the Explorer.
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