HONOLULU — The Coast Guard and Honolulu Fire Department continue the search for a missing scuba diver near Makaha Beach Park, Oahu, Wednesday.
Coast Guard Cutter Kittiwake, an 87-foot coastal patrol boat homeported in Honolulu, a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Station Honolulu, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Barbers Point, a Coast Guard Auxiliary vessel and a 25-foot Response Boat-Small crew from the Coast Guard Marine Safety Security Team continue the search for JJ Jackson. Also participating in the search are a dive boat and jet ski from the Honolulu Fire Department. HFD has a command post at Keaau Beach Park.
Watchstanders at Sector Honolulu Command Center received notification from one of the divers reporting an overdue 50-year-old male at 10:30 p.m. Jackson was last seen Monday at 8:15 p.m. approximately one mile off Makaha Beach Park wearing a black full wetsuit and scuba gear. As part of that gear, Jackson was wearing a buoyancy control device which could be used for emergency floatation.
Current on-scene weather conditions are 5 mph winds and 3-foot seas.
On-scene assets have completed 34 sorties, searched a total of 1,014 square miles and deployed two self-locating datum marker buoys.
Watchstanders at the Sector Honolulu Command Center used data gathered from the SLDMBs and the search and rescue optimal planning system to calculate the search area. SAROPS is a software system that uses simulated particles generated by users in a graphical interface. These particles are then influenced by environmental data to provide information on search object drift. Using information on a point of origin and local currents, it calculates the most likely area to find a person or object in the water.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sector Honolulu Command Center at (808) 842-2600.